Demonic Maelstrom
by GrizzlyBiscuit
Summary: Naruto as a child was forced to take Kyuubi into himself, yet no one could have forseen what that would do to him Starts Near Canon, Will AU later T for Now
1. Prologue  Sins of the Past

**First, let there be introductions. I am the Biscuit, sometimes known as G.B., often times known as a long winded writer who can upset anyone given long enough time (I take great pride in that fact) Now with the introductions out of the way, let me start with the obvious. This Naruto posting from me is a first. I do many firsts, I have yet to do sequels. I have seen many of the tv series that the americas have hacked to pieces, and I have read the manga all the way up to when Sasuke left Naruto in the valley of the end. I have not seen or read anything about the movies, so tough luck, or find me a script that I can read to add to this later.**

**Now for the Important part. This Prologue is the introductions, there will be time skips, there will not be any explanations about things that should be known by those who have any kind of information on Naruto or can puzzle it out themselves. I will write a little fact guide at the bottom to explain things that pertain to the story and will not give clues to what I am writing next. Finally, I am also in the process of writing a Ranma 1/2 story, so I will be splicing my time between this and the other.**

**Disclaimer: Money can't buy me the rights to Naruto, or at least, the money I have cannot buy me the rights. Some people have all the luck...**

**Notation: This will most likely turn into a Harem fic. Pm if you don't want to review on the story your thoughts, questions, advice. I will answer as much as I can.**

**G.B.: Start the Prequel Already!**

* * *

The battle was steadily becoming a lost cause, and he knew it. The Kyuubi no Kitsune was an unstoppable force, and many good families were going to be left without their loved ones before the day was done. He had already lost his wife, but he pushed that to the side for the time being. 

Staring from the top of Gamabunta, he and the Toad Boss made their preparations.

"I still say this is a bad idea." Gamabunta muttered from around the large pipe in his mouth. Readjusting the blade hanging from his back, the Toad Boss fidgeted in place.

"Can you think of any way else to stop it, Oyabun?" Gamabunta fidgeted again, knowing that when the man got respectful, he was planning something stupid.

"I'm telling you that it's not going to work." He watched as the Kyuubi gave an ear piercing roar that tore miles of woods up and killed countless more ninja with its attack.

The man sighed as the wind blew through the yellow mane of hair. Mentally prepared, he glanced to a med-nin that had rushed to him with the news that his wife had died in child birth, but that his son had survived. Praying that his son would be well taken care of in his absence, he sent a steely gaze toward the bane of the Fire Country.

"Oyabun." The man began making the first of the hand signs that would end this battle. "It would have been an honor to present you my son. The drinks we would have shared in celebration would have bought a small country."

Gamabunta's scarred toad face crinkled in a wry smile. "Oy, gaki, wait till you see my sons, Gamakichi and Gamatatsu." With strong legs, Gamabunta propelled them toward the flame colored beast, its nine tails whipping around it.

"It would be my honor, Oyabun." He was going slowly through the seals, praying that the chakra he was accumulating would be enough. "When this battle is over, I will make sure to see them."

The Kyuubi's eyes locked onto the approaching Toad Boss, rearing back to prepare a charge.

"It's a promise, gaki." Gamabunta grunted as Kyuubi shot at them, claws ripping the ground up as it charged. "You'd best live through this to see them, or I'll never forgive you." Jumping into the air to avoid the sudden leap from the Kyuubi, the Toad Boss kicked away several of the lightning fast tail strikes that tried to wrap around him.

"Yakusoku." The blonde haired man grinned even as Gamabunta whipped them around to face the Kyuubi who was coming back at them. His hand formed the last seal as his chakra began to flow out and summon the ultimate equalizer. "Shiki Fuujin!"

* * *

"He's begun the technique." A masked ANBU operative spoke quietly to the circle of men and women in the room. 

The heads of the people turned from the ANBU and to each other, signifying that the discussion had commenced once again. "We all know that sealing a demon in the stomach of Shinigami is an impossibility, and yet he believes himself so powerful as to contain a monstrosity as the Kyuubi?"

"It doesn't matter what he believes." A second voice spoke, this voice slightly deeper than the first. "We were warned of his foolishness repeatedly by the resident Sannin that he would do this, and now when he fails, it will be the death of Konohagakure when the Kyuubi's soul frees itself from Shinigami."

"Then we are in agreement then." A aged female voice spoke up, nearly on the heels of the second man. "For the sake of Konohagakure, we must transfer the soul to an alternate body while sacrificing his."

"Indeed." A man with wired rimmed glassed bridged his hands together on the table before him, peering over his interlaced fingers. "Just as the Sannin surmised, the body of an innocent will have to be used to contain the Kyuubi temporarily before we kill it and the child."

"But where can we find this body?" A younger woman spoke, peering around at her fellow members. "As the Sannin directed, the sacrifice must be a child newly born to be able to hold it long enough for us to kill the Kyuubi."

"With your permission, fellow members of Council." The ANBU spoke up, his head bowed so that his mask would not peer at them impertinently. "Word has recently come to us that there was a child born at the beginning of the fight with the Kyuubi. As it stands, this child was just recently orphaned."

* * *

The strain on his body was insane, already an hour had passed and the Kyuubi's soul was almost free of its body. It was fighting as hard as it could to survive the attack, but once the hand of Shinigami took hold, it was a foregone conclusion. Nothing short of the caster themselves being eaten would suffice, even if Shinigami managed to somehow lose its grip. He had even had to tap into Gamabunta's large chakra reserves to keep hold of Kyuubi as his was dangerously low. 

With one mighty pull, he felt what amounted to Kyuubi's bond to its body break free and the sudden wrench of the spectral arm that was reaching through his chest jerked all the way up to its wrist back through him. He was going to save his beloved village, but most importantly, he was going to save his son, the hope he and his wife had brought into this world.

He screamed in pain as something interrupted the flow of chakra between Kyuubi and himself. Looking down through the pain, the form of a young child cried out in misery as the hand of Shinigami passed through the child's belly, the spirit of Kyuubi flowing through the child, but not out. As the hand of Shinigami came out of the back of the child, the fingers looked as if they had been cut at before he felt the wrench that spoke of Shinigami taking his soul from him.

He could only manage to look to the side as his body lost strength at the ANBU that held the child to them. The ANBU was looking at him from their mask, emotions hidden behind them, but not their voice. "And so ends the life of the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Hero to the masses, condemner of his bloodline." The ANBU turned on their heel before leaping from Gamabunta's head, avoiding the Boss Toad's tongue.

"I'm sorry, gaki. He was on me before I could stop him." Gamabunta spoke even as he felt him fading from the material world, back to his own.

"Oyabun." He was having trouble focusing his eyes, the life being ripped out of him, he didn't have long before his body followed. "You must…tell…Jiraiya." Before Gamabunta could answer, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the chakra holding him to this plane spent. He fell downward toward the ground headfirst, his last thought before his vision fled was that he had failed his son.

* * *

He had heard the rumors from his contacts, but he couldn't believe them so easily. It was an absurdity, and just plain crazy for any of them to have attempted to kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune in its den. Worse, they had tried fleeing back to Konohagakure and led the creature of Death and Destruction back to the only place he had even called home. 

White spiky hair whipped in the wind as he rushed his way homeward, intent on lending his considerable powers to the fight, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't too late to help his student turned Hogake. The boy was a genius, and he was proud to say that he had taught him most of everything he knows. Now if only it would work the other way so that he wasn't caught so often when he was getting his research done.

Shaking his white, spiky mane as he jumped from tree limb to tree limb, he berated himself. Now was not the time for such thoughts, now was the time for action. As he jumped from the limb, he felt his legs push off harder than he had intended and tried to reorient himself in midair even as mini puffs of smoke from his shoulders brought his attention to his two riders.

"It's good to see you again, Ma and Pa." Jiraiya said as he flipped, pushing off the trunk of a tree to realign himself as his skin developed the trademark warts of his 'sage' form. His feet and hands were becoming webbed as he sped up even faster. "I didn't think I summoned for either of you."

"I told you he was still as disrespectful as ever, Ma." The small toad with bushy eyebrows on his right shoulder grumbled aloud as they rode Jiraiya's shoulders.

"Pay no attention to Pa, dear." The female frog on his left shoulder patted Jiraiya's cheek with a smile. "He's upset that Gamabunta ordered us to come here."

"Gamabunta didn't order me to do anything." Pa muttered, still not happy.

Jiraiya glanced at the two toads on his shoulders. Normally, it wasn't possible for summons to make themselves manifest without the chakra and blood needed to bring them here, which Jiraiya had yet to supply. The only conclusion he could manage was that they were being empowered with someone else's chakra. "Is it Minato?" Jiraiya spoke worriedly, a chill rushing down his back.

Pa grunted. "He tried Shiki Fuujin on Kyuubi." Jiraiya nearly slipped as he landed on a limb before kicking of again.

"A child had Kyuubi placed into it by accident." Ma spoke sadly, pity pouring from her words.

"Where is the child now?" Jiraiya wondered if Kyuubi had managed to break free yet. With a child with undeveloped tenketsu and circulatory system, it would be supposedly difficult for the Kyuubi to break its way free from the child. Of course, seeing as how this would be a first time to seal a Bijuu into someone, it was totally feasible for Kyuubi to simply destroy the child from within and break itself free from the poor soul's mortal coil.

As Konoha was coming into view, he could see the destruction near the hidden village. Many people were gathered around one spot, most likely where Minato had fallen.

"He was taken by a masked ninja." Ma stared at the city ahead of them, Jiraiya turning his own head to look in the direction of the city.

"We'll need to see Sarutobi first, then." Jiraiya muttered as he rushed toward the undefended gates of Konoha, the guards conspicuously missing.

* * *

The ANBU materialized from the sudden smoke into the council room, the crying child held in his hands. "Namikaze Minato is no more." The masked person spoke while offering up the child to one of the council members. 

Taking the child from the ANBU, they looked down at it with disdain. The seal on the child's belly glowed bright red and vapor seemed to rise upward from it in red streamers. "So this is the seal of the Shiki Fuujin." The council member muttered to no one in particular.

"We should kill the child now, before the Professor hears of this." One of the other council members commented even as the ANBU member seemed to disappear off into the shadows of the room.

"Agreed. If we wait too long, we will be found out." One of the women on the council spoke. "Who will do the deed?"

Before anyone could take a weapon up, the child's eyes snapped open, red eyes glowing balefully at nothing as the seal flared with demonic Youki before spreading outward. The scream from the man holding it was only the first to be heard in the room as the aura of Youki flooded the room, covering everything in its red glow. The bodies of the council members had only moments before they shriveled all at once, eyes sinking back into their heads and bodies collapsing to the ground and both muscle and flesh shriveled away to nothing.

The child seemed to levitate in the air for a moment before the demonic aura slowly carried the child down onto the desk under it, the last of the aura trailing off to nothing as the eyes slipped closed again. Already on the cheeks, whiskers marks began to form.

From the shadows, two people appeared at the very fringes of the room where the candle light could barely reach.

"It is as you thought, Orochimaru-sama." The masked ANBU commented as he peered at one pile of bones and clothes to the next. "The destructive aura of Kyuubi is too much for anyone other than the sealed, much like the ones affected with your own."

Orochimaru's golden slitted eyes gleamed cruelly at the baby crying its heart out in the room, the seal shining brightly on its stomach. "It would also seem that the single Shishou Fuuin is unable to constrain the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune completely. He would make for an excellent specimen if he wasn't so dangerous."

"What do you think will happen to him?" The ANBU asked, not taking its gaze from the glowing child.

Orochimaru licked his lips, pale skin glistening in the barely shadowed corner they stood in. "His mind will be very unbalanced as he grows up. The Kyuubi no Kitsune is far too powerful a creature to stay sealed forever, and will resent the fact that it is sealed within a body, bound to die trapped within a human."

The ANBU remained silent for a few moments as feet stormed their way closer in the hallway. "And the seal you added?" they asked, wondering at the mind that was behind the Sannin's actions.

"All in good time, Kabuto." Orochimaru hissed before choking in his off sounding laugh. Both he and the ANBU known as Kabuto disappeared as the doors burst open, allowing the third Hokage and Jiraiya in his sage form into the room.

* * *

"I think it's a very bad idea, Sarutobi." Jiraiya muttered in the Hokage's room, the now quiet child being held in the arms of the aged Hokage's arms. 

The conical hat emblazoned with the kanji for third in red on his hat barely hid his eyes from Jiraiya as he rocked the silent child in his arms. "Minato would not want his child to be hidden in his own village, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya bit his lips, returned back to his human form when the two frogs from his shoulders had returned to their own plane of existence. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a sullen look on his face. "They are not going to accept him." Jiraiya jerked his head toward the window that overlooked the village. "He's the embodiment of everything they lost. No one will accept him and everyone will try to kill him, no matter who's son he is."

The Third stood up from behind his desk and turned to look out across his village with love in his eyes. "They are good people, Jiraiya. They'll come to accept him, you'll see."

Jiraiya stared a hole through his sensei's head, wondering if he was stubborn or mule headed. He certainly wasn't acting very smart, even though he was known as the Professor by reputation. "Have the seals finally settled down?" He asked, changing the subject that had nothing to do with the populous.

The Third turned around to his student and nodded. "I believe so. There haven't been any flare ups as there was when we found him, and the power of Kyuubi seemed to be slowly working into the Naruto's chakra circulatory."

"Naruto?" Jiraiya asked as he lifted up from the wall, walking over to the child to look down into his face once again. "I didn't think he had time enough to name his child."

"It was one of the names they were trying to narrow down from a list of names." The Third smiled down at the child.

"Maelstrom." Jiraiya muttered as he looked down at the kid before looking up at his sensei. "You're hoping he becomes a current that people will be swept up along?" At the Third's nod, Jiraiya scowled at the kid. "You do realize that it has another meaning, this maelstrom." The sensei looked at his student as he continued. "A violently confused state of mind."

The Hokage looked at the child with a frown. "Do you think something else has happened to him to deserve that kind of thinking?"

Jiraiya frowned. "I think I need to speak to my old 'friend', Orochimaru." Jiraiya turned around and walked toward the doorway before turning around and looking at his sensei. "Don't announce anything until I find out for sure."

As Jiraiya left, Sarutobi looked down at the baby with the shock of blonde hair on its head with a sad smile. "You will be the hero of the entire fire country, Naruto. I promise you."

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama, you needed to see me?" the small girl standing in the dark doorway that led back into what looked like a sewer entrance called to him. The little six year old with her hair tied back in a small pineapple flair on the back of her head looked at him worriedly, her purple hair and pupil less brown eyes stared at him hopefully and with worship. 

"Yes, Anko." Orochimaru hissed as he turned around to the doorway. "I need you to go to the exit with these documents and wait for me. We're going to be leaving Konoha tonight." He held out the documents to her as she came over to him, grunting lightly from the added weight.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." She smiled brightly up at him and received a hand mussing her hair before she turned and rushed out the doorway back into the sewery recesses.

Orochimaru took a few more documents from the table in front of him and began a new stack before standing up slowly. "Did you come to say goodbye, Jiraiya? For old times sake?"

"You're involved in this somehow, aren't you, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya stepped from around the edge of the doorway, arms held at his sides as he watched the back of Orochimaru. "Where are you planning on going? You know leaving Konoha without the express permission of the Hokage is like saying you abandon your town."

"I'm just assuring that I have a place somewhere in case someone tries to kill me." Orochimaru turns to face Jiraiya with a smirk on his pale face, purple lines under his eyes suggesting make up or bags from lack of sleep.

"Are you saying that someone here in Konohagakure would want to wish harm on you, Orochimaru?" Jiraiya commented calmly, without the hint of a mocking tone. "The only one who would have the talent to even touch you is Sarutobi. Now why would he want to hurt you, Orochimaru?"

"The day may come when Sarutobi is forced to kill his own students for the welfare of Konohagakure, Jiraiya." Orochimaru's smirk grew. "That is why Tsunade left Konohagakure."

"Tsunade left for her own reasons, and she had permission from the Fourth to do so." Jiraiya spoke on the heels of Orochimaru, earning a scowl from the dark haired man.

"Then I should be able to leave as well, or would Sarutobi have a reason to prevent me from leaving?" The sneer that was on Orochimaru's face was quickly removed as he spoke, hiding his thoughts on Jiraiya's last comment.

"If you had something to do with that poor soul trapped with the Kyuubi, he would have a reason to hurt you." Jiraiya's left hand made a slight hitch, as if wanting to reach for something, but was restrained. "You didn't have anything to do with it, did you, Orochimaru?"

"I wish I did, Jiraiya." The pale man said as he walked past Jiraiya, black hair reaching to his waist in a straight line barely moving as he slid past into the hallway beyond. "He would have made an excellent test subject."

Jiraiya spun on his heel, hands already in motion as he drew chakra before letting his hands fall to his sides, Orochimaru long gone.

* * *

"People of Konoha." Sarutobi spoke up for the assembled villagers, smoke still rising up into the dark skies from the places where the Kyuubi had managed to get to. "Today, we have lost many of our friends and loved ones to a most hated creature. Lives that defended us when there was no hope of survival and gave us the precious seconds needed to stop the Kyuubi from reaching our hidden village of the leaf. 

"Even our own Hokage, the Yondaime himself, fell before the power of the demon, but not without a great gift to our village." Many of the people looked up at Sarutobi with curiosity, some with tears still falling from their eyes, and some didn't have any emotion on their faces, too numb to feel. "With a great sacrifice and the loss of his life, the Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed away within a child for all times, never to walk the lands of men and ninja ever again."

"Know that from this day forward, no one is to speak of the Kyuubi being sealed to anyone who resides in the village of the leaf under the threat of banishment and exile for all times from Konoha." Sarutobi glanced around to his villagers, impressing upon them never to speak of what they were hearing tonight.

"People of the leaf, I present to you the container of Kyuubi, our hero of the leaf." Sarutobi held the child up above his head, watching the faces of his villagers, his family, his students and his children. Eyes that seemed to have lost focus on him looked upwards at the child and gain life that made him shiver. Hands that rose into the air to plead for aid now turned into claws of anger. Voices that had once spoken softly in kindness changed to shouts of rage the instant the child was shown.

Taking the child from the air and ducking him protectively into his robes, Sarutobi turned his body as the first rocks flew at him. ANBU jumped in and protected Sarutobi, knocking debris out of the air even as the people tried to claw their way past the guards to get to the third Hokage. Motioning with his hands, both he and his ANBU guards leapt away faster than the village eyes could follow, leaving an incensed mob behind them.

* * *

"You wouldn't listen, would you?" Jiraiya asked sarcastically as he stood in the Hokages window, watching the people tear the streets up in grief and anger, shouting for the Hokage to bring the demon child to them so that they could end its life. 

"I thought they would see him as a hero, not as a demon." Sarutobi spoke weakly, hand to his brow as he leaned himself against it. The pipe that he would normally smoke from laying absently in the ashtray before him.

"Those that have lost greatly cannot see beyond their pain." Jiraiya spoke as if reading from a book with great sagely quotes. "What will you do when the ninjas gather together a week from now? What will you tell them?"

Sarutobi sighed greatly, falling back against the back of his chair. "What can I say? They'll hear from the villagers all about the demon child, what else can be said?"

Jiraiya turned from the window to regard the back of the Hokage's chair. "So you intend on telling them?"

"Better it come from me, including the explanation that the child is not the Kyuubi made flesh." Sarutobi opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling he thought he had given up long ago. "I doubt it will make much difference, but I should tell them straight and with as much as we know."

"Including the fact that we don't know if the Kyuubi can even speak with the child?" Jiraiya wondered what had become of the child, and who had the time to put the first seal on him before he could add the second.

Sarutobi sat up and turned his chair halfway so he could stare at Jiraiya with a half hooded gaze. "Some things are too much to know." He waited for Jiraiya to nod before relaxing from his ramrod straight position. "You and I will know the truth, and that is all. Everything that will be spoken of in one week is to be classified as a level S state secret, punishable by death to a ninja of this city. No one will ever speak of the truth to him until I do."

"You know the saying about too many mouths knowing a secret, Sarutobi." Jiraiya crossed his arms in front of himself, staring down at his old mentor.

"I am placing ANBU I trust on him indefinitely, or until I say otherwise." Sarutobi announced, turning his chair back to the table in front of him. "He must live, even if my life is forfeit."

* * *

**_(four years pass)_**

* * *

The night streets of Konoha were as inhospitable as they always were to him, but that was nothing new. He had to get out of the orphanage, away from those that treated him badly. The other kids were not mean spirited per se, they simply emulated the adults that lived there. 

The teachers wouldn't answer him if he had a question, they wouldn't change his sheets and kept him separated from the rest of the kids when they could, even going so far as to allow him and only him outside for a break if they remembered him at all. His food was always the worst, green stuff would sometimes grow on it, or small bugs were cooked in with the food. One time he had gotten a bowl of food that looked like everyone else's, but he had gotten so sick over it, he had thought he was going to die.

He needed to eat something that wouldn't make him sick, escaping out of the window of his room and running through the streets as he could, until he realized that stuff was being thrown at him from various people, or he was flat out ignored. He had ducked into the alleys and was subsequently left alone.

Now, he prowled late at night near a noodle shop, hoping that something dumped out would be good to eat. A small girl nearly his own age in brown hair came out and dumped a whole mess of tasty looking noodles into a dumpster and his stomach growled, making him hunch down behind a bag of garbage to avoid her sight. She turned as if never hearing, walking back inside where the light seemed to shine out invitingly from within.

Bolting on his hands and feet, he raced the short distance from the alley back entrance to the dumpster and jumped, barely scrabbling onto the dumpster lip before pulling himself over and taking handful of the noodles before shoving them into his mouth. Dirt from his hands and from the insides of the dumpster hardly bothered him as he ate handfuls of noodles, trying to fill the gnawing pain in his stomach.

He yelped as more noodles landed on his head, throwing himself away from the wet mess that had landed on him. Jumping up and over the scared girl, he bolted down an alleyway, trying to get away from the rocks she would throw at him afterwards. The pain hurt, and the voice told him to avoid those that would hurt him. The voice knew a lot of things, and would talk to him when no one else would.

When he had thought he had gotten far enough away from the girl, dodging down several different back alleys and eluding any possible chance of chase that she could have given him. Some of them were good at following him, a girl of dark hair and red eyes who he had seen working with two others at the orphanage. She had followed him when he had tried to run away from the orphanage in the afternoon some days ago, and was really hard to escape from.

The sudden sound of feet made him drop near the mouth of the alley. Someone was coming, someone in a great hurry to get away. He knew these sounds, they were the same sounds he would make when they would try to hurt him, trapped in the small room with them when they came to do things to him that the voice said was bad. He looked up and smelled the night air, inhaling the scents of male sweat and fear laced with confidence. There was another smell underneath that, female and unconscious.

The voice in his head growled at the smell of the female. It told him to find the smell, to track it. He was scared to follow the voice, he didn't like following the others by his nose, they always would hurt him worse and call him names, but the voice had never lied to him before. He used a garbage can and clambered up onto a low wall, moving across it as low as he could to avoid sight as he tracked the smell.

He moved down the wall a way till he couldn't go any further on it before jumping back down to the ground and moving onward, keeping as much to the shadows as he could. The voice told him to hide and he ducked behind a small bush at the corner of a compound, staying hidden from the lights on the building ahead of him. The scent of the man was coming closer, and he smelled even more of fear than before as his breathing picked up.

He jumped over a wall not too far from him, a man with a white something that looked like a sheet or cloth, the boy couldn't tell. His clothing was all in browns and dark earth colors after a rain, making it hard to see him if not for the mask that was on his face and head. He held an unconscious little girl under one arm as he turned toward him, starting to run his direction.

The voice growled again in the back of his head deeply, and his nails lengthened. He could feel anger at the man and he crouched on all fours as the man came closer. He had felt like this before when the voice would speak to him, telling him to hurt those that hurt him, calming him when his fingers sharpened and his teeth grew. He had been scared of those that took care of him, but this person was someone he didn't know, this was someone he could hurt without getting hurt back.

The girl seemed to come to as they were nearing him and struggled, her arm came up and grabbed hold of the hand that was holding onto her yukata and obi. The man looked down just as the boy jumped, blonde spiky hair rippling in the dark just barely catching the man's gaze as he whipped his head around and tried shouting in fear.

Dropping the girl, he gripped at his slashed neck, ripped open by the boy that was biting his shoulder and shredding his arm and chest with his fingers. The red eyes that were shining at him as his vision blurred with pain of a boy with three dark parallel lines on each cheek spoke of madness and feral born rage. He collapsed onto his back, nearly pinning the girl as the boy sprung off of his chest, his vision gone and with it, his life.

The girl got up and made to run away from the man who had kidnapped her until her father appeared before her and wrapped a protective arm around her as he gazed at the fallen body and at the boy nearby. Bright blonde spiky hair with three facial marks on each cheek in the shape of whiskers could only be one boy, though it was told to him by the branch house that his eye color was blue. The ANBU presence that surrounded the boy a second later only confirmed to him who the boy was.

"Did you kill the spy?" Black hair drifted with the wind as his pale iris less eyes stared at the blonde boy.

"Forgive, Hiashi-sama," an ANBU with a falcon's mask spoke, placing hand to heart and bowing slightly to the man, "Naruto only speaks with the Sandaime." His metal chest plate didn't seem to gleam in the night, but still somehow drew the gaze of all around him.

Frowning down at his daughter who hung on his yukata, he looked back at the ANBU. "We will accompany you to the Hokage's tower then. I have some questions that need to be answered."

Nodding, the masked man looked down at Naruto. "Naruto-san, it's time to go see jii-san."

Naruto's face turned up to the masked man's, his fingernails shortening at the name of the Sandaime. His eye color changed back on its own as Naruto hunched back over onto his hand and feet. Sniffing the air, Naruto took off on his own, the ANBU disappearing after him.

* * *

The Hokage walked into his office where Hiashi had been patiently waiting, his eldest daughter sitting nearby, eyes looking down at the floor in shame. "Naruto tells me you had a visitor in the middle of the night, Hiashi." 

Standing from his seat, Hiashi turns to Sarutobi. "I have just been told that it was the same man who came for peaceful negotiations from Kumogakure."

Sarutobi sighed as he sat behind his desk. The agreement from Kumogakure had been too forth coming, and he knew it. Negotiations were just long enough to get the ink wet on the paper and them to be welcome into the village so they could get close to their target. Rumors had come to him that the Kumo were interested in the Hyuga bloodline, the Byakugan. He never imagined that they would stoop so low as to send in an emissary to sign a peace accord they had no intention on going through with, and now that their man was killed, they would want blood for blood.

Hiashi frowned as he sat down next to his daughter who had still not looked up from where she sat. Sarutobi walked around the desk, shadowed closely by a dirty looking blonde haired boy. Sitting in his seat, Sarutobi looked over at Naruto and patted his head. "You're getting better at walking on only two legs, Naruto. You'll be walking around like everyone else soon enough."

Naruto's face brightened under the old man's hand as his hair was mussed up.

Sarutobi noticed the young girl looking shamefaced at the floor out of the corner of his eyes. "Naruto, please take little Hinata outside and show her your favorite spot, would you?" Sarutobi motioned to the girl in her seat next to Hiashi.

Naruto turned to her, looking blankly at the girl that had not acknowledged that anyone had spoken to her. Looking back at Sarutobi who merely smiled and nodded to him, Naruto walked around the desk of the Hokage and to the side of the little girl. He looked at the pale eyes of Hiashi who frowned at him before looking back at Sarutobi who merely smiled at him before he reached over and jerked lightly on the girl's sleeve.

As if being woken up from a deep trance, she jerked up and looked around. Naruto had stepped back from the girl reflexively and looked at Sarutobi once again, unsure what this meant.

"Hinata." Hiashi spoke softly, getting the attention of his daughter. "Go with this boy for a moment, I will be with you shortly."

Hinata's face winced at the tone her father spoke with before she nodded with a sniffle. Sliding off of the chair she was in, she bowed to the boy before her. Naruto, never having anyone but the masked people jii-san spoke to bow to him, was unsure what to make of this and looked to Sarutobi for guidance.

"She's trying to be nice to you, Naruto." Sarutobi offered for the blonde haired boy, who turned and peered at her again unsure. Taking it as a good sign that she hadn't struck him yet, Naruto scented her discreetly before stepping up next to her and offering his hand.

Hinata blinked, looking at Naruto as if confused by his actions. With a weak smile on her face, she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it in her small one. Naruto turned and headed out of the room, closing the door behind the both of them.

"I don't like that demon being with her." Hiashi grumped, crossing his arms so that his hands slid up his sleeves.

"He is not a demon." Sarutobi growled, daring Hiashi to say otherwise.

"He killed a man tonight, a trained and skilled shinobi." Hiashi pronounced, ending the debate.

Sarutobi sighed as he leaned back into his chair. "That was unfortunate, but you would have most likely done the same once you had caught up to him."

"It is proof enough that the boy is dangerous." Hiashi continued, unrelenting that Naruto was a demon and was going to make Sarutobi see it if he had to brow beat him into it. "The man's throat was ripped out by a child of four."

"Which brings us to the problem." Sarutobi pulled out his pipe from somewhere up the sleeve of his robes, packing it with a practiced grace before lighting it. "Kumogakure is not going to be happy that their emissary was killed in Konoha, worse, they will ask for repayment for the life lost."

Hiashi frowned darkly as he thought on this. "They will most likely ask for another Hyuga, and we will most likely have to give them one."

"Unfortunate as it is, that is the most likely outcome." Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe before letting out the thick white cloud of his tobacco. "Kumo gets exactly what they want, and we get two dead bodies instead."

"If only I had gotten to him sooner." Hiashi muttered, getting a raised hand from Sarutobi.

"You would have been hard pressed to bring him down without killing him, regardless." Sarutobi sighed as the smoke from his pipe began to relax him. "Ibiki would have most likely needed to kill him anyways, after he had pumped him for everything he could."

Hiashi stood up from his seat. "If it is a foregone conclusion, I will inform the heads of the Hyuga's and prepare them." Turning for the door, Sarutobi called for him to wait as he hit a button on his desk.

The masked form of an ANBU materialized at the shoulder of Sarutobi. "You summoned, Sandaime?" They bowed behind him, fist to chest.

"Send Yamato and Kakashi for Naruto, then send for the leaders of ANBU to meet me here in ten minutes time." Sarutobi ordered, never looking at the masked figure behind him.

The wind picked up and leaves blurred around the ANBU before they disappeared.

* * *

Naruto clambered his way out of the top of the roof through the trapdoor. Making sure his footing was good, he turned around and reached back down into the trapdoor and helped Hinata out onto the roof next to him. The girl was scared, fear etched into her face and eyes as she looked around in confusion, but she never complained or spoke. Sliding the tile back into place, Naruto took a seat on the roof and stared out across the city as the girl sat down next to him. 

The girl fidgeted in place and played with her fingers as she averted her eyes from the boy. This was the first time she had been allowed outside of the Hyuga compound, let alone left alone with a boy. She glanced from time to time at Naruto from the corners of her eyes as the boy simply watched the rooftops and the stars above.

"A-ano…" Hinata's soft and hesitant voice broke the silence between them as she tried to talk. "I…I w-wanted to say…" She was scared what the boy would think of her if she spoke in an improper way. Hyuga's were strong, they didn't need help, and yet, she had needed his help tonight. "Arigato gozaimasu." She trailed off, blushing in shame at her weak attempt to talk.

Naruto looked over at her, confused. He tilted his head to one side as he peered at her, confused. "Arigato?" he spoke quietly, nearly as quiet as Hinata.

"Yes?" Hinata blurted, unsure what the boy wanted. Her eyes turned to his, looking hopeful and worried at the same time.

Watching her a bit longer, waiting for the voice to speak to him, he asked, "Arigato?"

"Are you two behaving?" Naruto jumped to his hands and feet in a second, turning to face whoever had snuck on him whereas Hinata gasped in fright and tried to hide behind him. A silver haired man with a metal plate on his headband stared at them from the top of the tower, the headband cocked over his left eye as his Jounin vest bent slightly in the wind. "I was told to come get you two and bring you back inside. The Hokage is done talking to Hiashi."

"Jii-san?" Naruto asked, coming out of his crouch slightly and looking warily at the silver haired man.

As if unsure whether the silver haired man was telling the truth or not, Naruto kept himself between Hinata and him as his hands worked at the tile, opening the trapdoor back inside the building. Taking Hinata's hand while keeping his eyes on the silver haired Jounin, they descended back into the Hokage's tower. The silver haired Jounin waited patiently as they disappeared back into the building before sighing and taking his hand out of his weapon pouch.

"That was exciting." Yamato commented. He appeared from below the roofline, walking upright as if the wall had been the floor. "It's hard to tell what Naruto is thinking and how far under the influence of the Kyuubi he's become." Kakashi physically relaxed as he turned to look at Yamato, his ANBU mask firmly in place. The hawk features turned toward the trapdoor, "He can find his way into any place, can't he?"

Kakashi turned his one eyed gaze to the trapdoor. "It's the fox in him, most likely. He'd make a good ninja, if it wasn't for the demon inside of him."

"It'll make him a better ninja." Yamato spoke, catching Kakashi's eye. "The demon will keep him alive by any means necessary."

"Even sacrificing his teammates to survive?" Kakashi glared at Yamato.

Yamato shrugged. "It will be hard enough getting him to be around others. Someone should start teaching him now that everyone will not hate him for being the container."

Kakashi frowned. "Come on, The Hokage is waiting for us."

* * *

**_(six months later)_**

* * *

The beginning of spring was normally a somber affair, kids running back and forth in the fields of the city parks or learning their first lessons on how to be a ninja, if the path of a ninja called to them. Naruto, having escaped the grounds of the orphanage once again, was roaming around Konoha, learning the town. He was making his way through the various back alleys wearing the brightest orange clothing one could possibly wear in terms of pants, a white shirt with a red spiral that tapered off up toward his face making it even easier to spy him. 

The girl with the brown hair set up like mouse ears on her head had gone outside to the park and allowed to train. She had been getting lessons from the teachers at the orphanage and been told that she would make a hard working kunoichi when she grew up. This wouldn't have been anything to Naruto except that he had watched her knock flies out of the air with little rolled up pieces of parchment four seats in front of her.

The ANBU that Sarutobi had told to teach him stealth thought that he had been joking when he had mentioned it and told Naruto that his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. He was following her to prove that her aim was as good as he had seen, he'd prove it even if he got yelled at.

The girl dressed in a pink top and dirty green leggings stood on the edge of one of the training grounds the grown ups used. He had seen them come here and beat on the logs or walk up the trees, the voice said they were learning to be strong, but wouldn't tell him how to do it. He watched the little girl only a year older than him focus on the log many feet away from her and reached behind her to her satchel he had seen her carry around with her. Pulling several wooden kunai out of it, she threw them as hard as she could toward the log.

Her aim was deadly as it flew, every kunai hitting within the same spot as the first when it hit, but because of their wooden edges, the weapons bounced from the log and landed in the dirt. The girl grinned and chuckled proudly to herself as she ran over to the fallen kunai and picked them up before running back toward the spot she had started at. Halfway back, she rolled and tossed at the same time, two wooden daggers hitting the log nearly blade to blade as they bounced against the log. She jumped from the ground and spun, flicking first one, then a second kunai behind it so that one couldn't be seen from in front or behind. The daggers hit the exact same spot, falling on top of each other on the ground.

Grinning to herself as she rubbed her knuckle under her nose, she flicked the last kunai toward the log, watching as it spun end over end before somehow finding a groove in the log and sticking for a brief second. Naruto watched her silently for over an hour, the voice in his head watching with him. She would sometimes practice her runs and throws, feints and flicks of her wrist, even one time she threw one in the air and fired the four she had in her hand as fast as she could before ducking down, one leg out and catching the tossed kunai behind herself before throwing it forward.

Naruto's inner voice growled out a warning to him, and he turned his head to the side where several older boys had come into the training yard with their hitai-ate headbands on their heads. They seemed to have only eyes for the girl as she threw her practice weapons at the practice log.

"Hey, little mouse." One of the boys called to her, making her aim go off as she tossed the last of her wooden kunai that nearly hit Naruto instead.

She spun on her heel, reaching into her satchel held behind her and a momentary look of fear crossed her face before she grit her teeth at the three boys who had come up from behind her. One took a kunai from the leg holder he had on and twirled it from the eye catch on the bottom.

"I didn't know vermin came out during the daylight?" One of the boys jeered as he moved around the brown haired girl on her left, the second boy moving around to her right to trap her from running from them. "Want me to show you how you're supposed to throw a kunai, little mouse?"

He threw the kunai at the girl, intent on scaring her into crying out, but something blurred between her and the knife, impacting with a wet sound and a low growl. A boy in short, spiky blonde hair had jumped in front of the brown haired girl and wrapped the girl up in front of him, the blade sticking out of his right shoulder as blood turned the color of his white shirt crimson. He turned his head to the boy who had thrown the blade and growled as menacing as he could as intent to kill seeped from him, his eyes flickering between his normally bright blue to a burning crimson color.

"What the hell, Gaki!" one of the other boys shouted, pointing their hand at Naruto. "We were just going to scare her! Now, you've gotten us all in trouble for hitting you!"

Naruto released the girl, reaching back over his shoulder to grab hold of the kunai and rip it free from his shoulder. As the blade left his body, his eyes settled on red and a blood red haze began to emanate from around him. The boys took steps back from him as the intensity of the killer intent doubled.

As Naruto stepped toward the boy who had thrown the dagger, he was knocked on his face from behind by a fist to the head.

The boys felt the killer intent die out abruptly while the girl in the pink and green stared down at Naruto's back. "What the hell are you doing here? You're not supposed to be off the orphanage grounds." The girl glared hotly down at the prone Naruto who had lost the red aura and lay still on his stomach, face down.

"O-oy…" The young boy who had thrown the kunai tried to speak, earning a hot glare from the young girl.

"If your Jounin instructor had been here to see you picking on someone weaker than you, they would have been ashamed of you." The girl's finger came up and flicked at him, taking him to task with her voice and her gaze. "What kind of ninja teases little children anyways?" Harrumphing loudly for a little girl, she grabbed the back of Naruto's collar and drug him toward the bushes away from the three stunned boys.

Once they had disappeared into the bushes and were out of sight, she dropped Naruto onto the ground and started fussing over him, trying to wake him up. "Oh, I'm so sorry you got hurt, what should I do?" Her menacing attitude had turned abruptly into a worried frenzy as she shook the boy's good shoulder.

Naruto leapt onto his hands and knees in an instant, making her shout and fall back on her behind, making Naruto jump back from her.

"Jeez, give a person some warning, will ya?" She rubbed her backside gently from where she had hit before looking at Naruto. "Are you ok? We need to get you some help for that shoulder."

As she got back onto her feet, Naruto stepped warily back from her.

"Hey, I didn't mean to scare you or nothing, I was just concerned for you is all." The girl raised her hand up toward him and he cringed back from her before his nostrils flexed over and over, the sound of him scenting the air audible between them.

Moving carefully forward, Naruto scented her hand before moving in closer and inspected her. She stood almost the same height as he did if he stood on his back legs with brown chocolate eyes that looked concerned at him. She smelled of worry and fear, but not for herself, and of soap that was still on her skin, though mixed with her own scent now from her training.

Reaching behind him, Naruto took something from the back of his pants, placing it in the girl's outstretched hand before rushing off through the bushes. She called out to him, trying to stop him, but watched in disappointment as he disappeared. Looking down at her hand, she realized that the wounded boy had handed her one of her wooden kunai she had left without.

Wondering who the boy was, she gripped her kunai and held it close to her chest.

* * *

He ran back through the alleys, heading for the dumpster with the noodles in it. He needed some place to heal, some place to get away from those eyes that looked at him with something other than hate. He couldn't have someone look at him like that, someone who looked at him with something under than hate. He didn't know how to deal with something like that, and he needed to go some place that no one else would find him at. 

The dumpster came into view faster than he thought he had been from it and he jumped onto the can next to it before grabbing the edge and lifting himself over the lip. The can fell over with a crash and rolled away after he jumped off of it, but he didn't think about that as he pushed himself into the furthest corner of the dumpster.

At first it had been little Hinata who had tried to come see him at the orphanage, that had been something he would not soon forget. Not a week after saving her from the kidnapper, she had come to the orphanage with an escort who looked like her father. He had been abused that day especially hard when he was brought back by the ANBU, the teachers and the caretakers making sure that he didn't forget any time soon not to run away from the orphanage again. She had taken one look at his swollen face and bloody clothes and had fainted dead away, a menacing tone from the man next to her to the caretakers that the Hokage would hear about this was all he managed to listen to before the man picked poor Hinata up and leave.

They had beaten him again, soon after the man had left with Hinata, the ANBU only showing up with the Hokage afterwards. Because of some innate healing, he had been perfectly fine when the Hokage had arrived, his swelling had disappeared and the only sign that he had been hurt was the bloodstains still on his shirt. The Hokage had been livid, fired the entire staff and had brought his own people from the tower to take over until new staff could have been instated.

They had only been a little less exuberant in teaching him his place.

Before she had passed out, he had seen her eyes. Eyes that made him feel something other than hatred for everyone around him, eyes that seem to see through the pain to something inside of him that he was scared to think about. He had seen those same eyes on the brown haired girl when she had tried to help him, tried to make him feel better. The voice in his head despised those eyes, the ones that made him feel weak and soft inside. It had told him to hate everyone and everything, that no one would come to like him for as long as he lived.

A sound from outside of the dumpster aroused his senses and the voice in the back of his head finally got through to him that he was in danger of being caught. Trying to jump over the edge of the dumpster and away from whoever it was, his foot caught the edge of the dumpster and he fell badly to the ground, his head bouncing off the concrete and making his head spin painfully.

Someone helped him up as his vision dimmed before totally blacking out.

He woke some time later, he didn't know when. The voice in his head never was concerned about time, only that the sun was down and the smells of food were nearby. He opened his eyes weakly, groaning as he tried to sit up, only to get slapped with a face full of vertigo. The sound of someone getting up and running out of wherever he was made his head throb and he groaned inarticulately.

He opened his eyes slowly, working his eyes to come back into focus from the bleary vision they were giving his brain. He was in a room somewhere, lots of the noodle smell was floating from the door that was open nearby, the only door the room had from the look of it. The sounds of feet were coming back from the hallway and he tried to get up again, only to nearly get sick.

From the doorway stood a girl that was older than him by a few years. His nose was already trying to scent everything out and smelled a similar scent behind her, but masculine and older, most likely a man who raised her. The girl had brown hair that fell behind her to her shoulders, her clothes were that of the villagers, though she wore a pair of pants with lots of stains on them underneath the apron with the sign of a bowl and steam coming off of it in red paint.

Behind her came an older man wearing a yellow hakama, his brown pants less stained than the girls and his apron spotless with the same symbol of it. His hair was slightly brown with the few fringes of gray forming along him, making something in the back of Naruto's head identify him as just like Jii-san.

"I see you're awake." The old man spoke kindly, being quiet for Naruto's sake after the fall he took to the ground. "We were worried that you had hurt yourself."

Naruto didn't say anything, though his eyes watered as the headache made his whole body ache.

"Are you the boy that was hiding in our dumpster?" the little girl asked, sitting in front of the old man with a wondering look on her face. Naruto tilted his head and winced at the pain's slight increase. "Why were you hiding in our dumpster?"

Naruto didn't want to answer them, words never seemed to get him much except punished. He opened his mouth hesitantly, expecting any moment to get beat for not responding fast enough when his stomach growled in hunger.

The old man smirked. "Ayame, go get him a bowl of miso noodles, will you?"

The girl politely nodded and smoothed her pant leg as she stood before turning and rushing out the door back toward the noodle smell. Naruto winced as each step resounded throughout his head.

"You'll have to forgive Ayame's desire to be helpful." The old man spoke kindly, seeing Naruto jerk his head with the girl's retreating steps. "Ever since she saw you running off down the alleyway some time ago, she's been wanting to see who you were in person." The man smiled before he scratched behind his head, making a tiny bow to the child. "Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ichiraku Teuchi, and I own Ichiraku Ramen shop."

As he finished introducing himself, the girl, Ayame, walking back into the room holding a bowl of miso ramen and placed it before the boy. Placing a set of chopsticks on the bowl, the girl moved back from him and smiled brightly.

Naruto eyed the bowl with obvious hesitation. He was hungry, but they had given him food, people he didn't know and didn't trust. In all honesty, he didn't trust anybody, so why should they be any different from those that he did know?

He took the chopsticks carefully, eyeing the two before him before sliding the bowl next to him and finally into his lap. Dipping the chopsticks into the noodles, he waited for the voice to advise him briefly before his stomach overrode his safety.

The taste that flooded his senses drove away any thoughts of bad people as he swallowed whole the noodles in his mouth. He dug into the bowl of food before him voraciously, stuffing his mouth full before swallowing and not even bothering to try and chew. Once the noodles were gone, there was a moment where he frowned at the bowl before tilting the bowl back and draining the warm miso.

"It seems he was more than just hungry." Teuchi chuckles as Naruto places the bowl on the ground and grins brightly.

"Arigatou, Jii-san!" Naruto exclaimed brightly, a wet smile covered with bits of noodle and miso on his face.

Teuchi grinned softly. "You should thank little Ayame here." He gestured to the girl. "She's the one who found you out back and helped you out."

Naruto turned toward the girl who blushed lightly at him. His brain didn't work as the voice spoke something in the back of his head. Someone who had helped him instead of hurt him, someone who had taken care of him instead of abandoned him. It was a strange feeling that he had never experienced before, something that warmed him inside but didn't make any sense to him.

"Arigatou, nee-san." Naruto bowed to the girl awkwardly, never having a reason before to bow to someone, though having seen many adults doing the same for others.

The girl smiled at him. "Just call me Ayame. And you are?"

Naruto sat upright and looked at Ayame confused for a moment before smiling brightly. "Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

_**(two years, six months later)**_

* * *

They say the first year in ninja school is hell, but it's nothing to surviving the kids who attend it. Naruto was the rumor of many of the kids, least of all the flower girl, Ino. Though he wouldn't speak to anyone, it was to the extreme pleasure of Ino to see what she could say about him that would get him to react. 

She had first tried various names, all of which Naruto ignored. It bothered her that she couldn't get a reaction out of the blonde haired boy no matter what she said. She craved for attention from those that were her own age, and not being able to get Naruto to look at her irked her.

The more she tried to find out about Naruto, the more frustrated she got. The teachers at the school would say nothing about him, saying that she should stay away from him. The students didn't know him, and they listened to the teachers when they were told to stay away from the blonde boy. She had followed him a few times and seen that he lived in an orphanage not too far away from the school, but even they wouldn't tell her anything about Naruto.

The only person who would speak to Naruto, even though Naruto wouldn't speak back with them at school was Kurenai sensei. The black haired, red eyed woman who taught the genjutsu classes would speak to Naruto often, usually after school. She had first assumed that it was to help Naruto out with his genjutsu training, but after awhile she wondered.

She followed Kurenai sensei and the rumored dead last of the school to a training area one day to see what she did with him. It wasn't fair that a student got special treatment from the teachers and she wanted to see if he really was learning anything at all. Instead, she saw Kurenai sensei sitting down under a tree while Naruto wandered the training ground for awhile before settling into a patch of grass that gave him good cover. He soon lay down and hid himself in the grass where Ino lost sight of him.

Wondering what this meant, Ino decided to walk out into the training ground and pretend to see Kurenai sensei. When she would walk over toward her, she'd conveniently walk over and surprise Naruto at the same time. The first part went as planned, she walked out in the field, reaching for a weapon in her satchel at her hip before calling out to her sensei and walking in her direction. As she approached Naruto's hiding spot, her plans suddenly went out the window.

Naruto leapt out of his concealment, a snarl jumping out of his mouth as he pinned Ino to the ground. He crouched over her, staring balefully down at her with his blue eyes before Kurenai's laughter made him turn his head around and look behind him.

"Alright, Naruto. You scared her enough, now let her up." Kurenai smiled with a light smirk.

As if a well trained animal, Naruto shifted off to the side and sat back on his haunches, hands and feet firmly planted on the ground, but his eyes still on Ino. Ino sat up, glaring at Naruto before getting up and dusting herself off as if she had not just been knocked down to the ground by the very person she intended to scare.

Walking over to Kurenai, Ino stopped in front of her and bowed. "Hello, Kurenai sensei."

"Hello, Ino-chan." Kurenai smiled before shaking her head. "You never seem to listen to me when I tell you that I'm a little older than you and only a substitute until your teacher returns back from her mission."

"You teach our class, so you're our sensei." Ino smiled brightly, admiring the woman that sat in front of her.

"I specialize in genjutsu, which is the only reason why I was allowed to sub for anyone, especially at 13 years of age." Kurenai smiled as she watched Naruto come over and sit down beside her.

Ino eyed Naruto who lay down against Kurenai, curling his body up and eyeing Ino for a moment before closing his eyes. "Excuse me, Sensei?" Kurenai looked fro mNaruto to look at Ino. "Why are you letting him do that?"

Kurenai turned back to Naruto and ran her fingers through his blonde hair, a smile barely held on her face. "I saw him one day getting beaten for no reason, and by a bunch of students in our very class. He didn't so much as grunt when they hurt him, just took it all in silence." Ino gawked at Kurenai while Kurenai continued. "I asked around about him and no one would tell me anything, only that nobody loves him or cares about him and what happens to him is only for the best."

"That's…" Ino didn't exactly know what that was. How could people just be mean for the sake of being mean?

"I asked the Hokage and he asked me to look out for Naruto while I was here at the school." Kurenai turned her head and looked at Ino. "He doesn't have anyone, not even friends to talk to, except for the owner of Ichiraku and his daughter."

Ino knew what that was like. Except for Sakura, she was only noticed when she started a rumor, or when she tried to get people's attention by making them angry. Bullying only worked so far until someone called your bluff though, and Sakura was the only person who wanted to be with her willingly, without getting her to go along with whatever she wanted.

"Kurenai sensei." The red eyed chuunin looked up at Ino. "Do you think I could be Naruto's friend?"

Kurenai smiled up at Ino. "I'm sure you could be, Ino-chan." She patted the spot next to her, inviting Ino to sit down next to her. She waited until the blonde girl took her seat before she leaned back and continued to stroke Naruto's hair. "He reminds me so much of Anko-chan who they just found." She thought to herself as she looked out of the corner of her eye at the sleeping boy. "What happened to her to make her as strange as she's become?"

* * *

"Ino, slow down, will ya?" The pink hair, green eyed girl panted as Ino ran ahead of her, her hair done up in a ponytail today as she ran along in her new blue ninja dress for kunoichis. 

Both were panting as they slowed down near a dirty apartment complex. "I can't…believe…you're that…out of shape." Ino gasped inbetween words as she tried to get her breath back.

"You're one to talk." The pink haired girl panted as she bent over, her hands on her knees were the only thing keeping her upright. "You said we were coming to meet a friend and you run the entire way here?"

"Oh, be quiet, Sakura and follow me." Ino complained as she took her friend's hand and drug her into the open area of the complex.

The place was run down and dirty in places no public area should ever be. The dirty green walls of the outside building were covered in…something…while the bushes looked like out of control trees and the grass was a jungle where any manner of creature could have been living in it. Ino looked disgusted at the place while Sakura glanced around, feeling slightly ill.

"The friend you want me to meet lives here?" Sakura barely spoke above a whisper, trying to be quiet so as to avoid offending someone and their living arrangements.

"He just moved in." Ino muttered, looking around for the apartment number, then heading over to the stairs that led to the second floor.

"Wait, did you just say 'he'?" Sakura pulled Ino to a stop, giving her friend a sly look. "I didn't think you were interested in boys, Ino-pig."

Ino glared at her friend. "I don't you not to call me that, Billboard Brow." Grabbing Sakura's hand before she gets even more pissed off, she drags her up to the second floor and down the walkway before she finds the right door. Knocking on the door, she waits a few moments before knocking even harder.

"Is your 'friend' even home, Ino-pig?" Sakura commented sourly as she stared around at the filth the place was in.

The door unlocked from the inside with an audible sound, cutting off Ino's retort. The door cracked slightly, a bright blue eye peeking out from between the space of the door and the doorframe before it opened widely, showing a sleepy looking Naruto. He eyed the pink haired girl suspiciously before smiling to Ino. "Ohaiyo, Ino-chan." Naruto hid a yawn behind his hand before he scratched his head. "Is it time to go out and gather more flowers?"

"Actually, Naruto, I wanted to bring my friend over today and introduce you two since you're both my friends." Ino smiled brightly as she pulled Sakura in front of her.

Sakura frowned at Ino before she turned to Naruto. "Hajimemashite, Naruto-kun. My name is Haruno Sakura."

Naruto bowed to her before looking over his shoulder. "Do you two…want to come in?"

Ino grinned at Naruto. "I was wondering if you were going to ask. We want to see our new friend's home." Stepping in past him, Sakura bowed to him before stepping in past Naruto only to nearly bump into Ino.

The place could barely be called livable in the living room was any indication. The couch looked like it had been shredded by some pack of wild animals, the carpet was threadbare in places, there were holes in the ceiling birds could fly through without touching their wings on either side, and there were panes of glass missing from many of the windows. Looking into the kitchen just from where they stood, they could see where patches of tiles were either broken or missing.

"You live here?" Ino couldn't imagine going a single night in this place. It had to be drafty beyond anything she had ever heard of.

"This place is a dump. There's no way you're living here." Sakura walked into the living room and began inspecting everything with a critical eye.

"I live here." Naruto answered wit ha smile on his face. The girl's turned to him disbelief written plainly on their faces. "I like it better here than back at the orphanage."

"If this is better than the orphanage, then the orphanage must have been the outer circle of hell or something." An inner representation of Sakura commented in her mind.

"How long do you intend on staying here, Naruto?" Ino asked, shivering as she looked around the place and thought she felt a cold chill run across her arm.

"As long as I can." Naruto replied happily as he walked over and flopped onto the couch. "No one comes here and yells at me, so I could stay forever."

"Well, who takes care of you? You certainly can't be taking very good care of yourself when you're here in this place." Sakura asked, gesturing to the apartment.

Naruto cocked his head to the side as he looked at Sakura. "No one comes here, just me, but you guys came here so someone else might."

"Uh, yeah," Sakura obviously was getting a little freaked out, "anyways, me and Ino-pig really need to get going, but thanks for letting us see your place."

Ino glared at Sakura who was staring firmly back at her. Nodding her head shortly, Ino smiled politely to Naruto. "Make sure you take good care of yourself, Naruto-kun. As a ninja, you have to make sure you take care of your health."

Naruto sat up on the ruined couch and smiled at Ino, nodded firmly. "I'll take very good care of myself, Ino-chan. Believe it!"

Waving bye to Naruto at his doorway, Ino and Sakura walked off and away from the complex before Sakura turned on her friend. "He can't be for real, can he? He's got to be out of his mind to be living in a place like that."

"Whether he's for real or not isn't the point, billboard brow." Ino growled at Sakura. "He's living on his own in an apartment that should be condemned and tore down. Do you know what kind of person that makes him?"

"Yeah." Sakura answered immediately. "A crazy one. If you think I'm going to be his friend any longer than I have to be, then you're crazy too, Ino-pig."

Sakura walked off down the street, leaving Ino behind to fume at the back of her best friend. Sometimes, it was so hard to be her friend, but then again, she could understand what she was talking about. Naruto didn't honestly understand that the place he was living in was little better to living out on the street, and the stipend he was getting for being a student for the ninja academy was paying for that place? Ino shook her head before heading home, hoping that there would be some way she could make Naruto see what kind of bad deal he was getting.

* * *

**_(four years later)_**

* * *

Naruto had tried last year to graduate early, hoping to get onto a genin squad and make something of himself, proving to everyone that he wasn't just a dobe, a dead last. Stealth was the only thing he had managed to pass, which had hurt, but couldn't have been helped. The training he had been getting from the ANBU assigned to him had stopped during his eight year, and he hadn't seen them since then. Kurenai sensei would have been the person to go to for lessons, but she had been needed to help with her friend, a girl named Mitarashi Anko. 

He had seen the weird pineapple haired girl once. She had stared at everyone hatefully, even going so far as to throw a kunai and cut a guy's cheek before appearing behind him and licking at the blood that was trickling from the wound. The voice in his head had thought that she was something else and he had to agree, though he wondered if the voice didn't mean something else entirely.

The brown trench coat she wore looked heavy as all hell, and the skimpy full body fishnet and micro mini skirt she wore underneath it were a pervert's fantasy. Maybe that was why she threw the kunai.

He bumped into someone in front of him, a boy in a blue top with a red and white fan in the middle of his back. He was about to apologize for bumping into them when the person turned around and addressed him. "Oy, dobe. Watch where the hell you're going." His coal black eyes stared him arrogantly in the face, black hair combed carefully on his head to give him a well kept look.

"Who the hell are you calling a dobe? Who the hell are you?" Naruto's patience was running infinitely shorter these days. With Ino and Saukra chasing after some guy who lost his whole clan from one person slaughtering them all, they pined over him and wanted to be the one who made the poor person feel like he wasn't as alone as he had heard.

The boy glared at him before snorting and turning his back to him again, Exposing the white fan with a red circle around the upper top of it. "Uchiha Sasuke, and don't forget it." The boy began to walk away into the academy, hands in his white shorts as he scowled at everyone that crossed his vision.

Naruto adjusted his orange coat and dusted his orange pants, grumbling under his breath. Tenten, the girl from the orphanage with the buns of hair shaped like mouse ears, had been about the only person he could train with after school, but she was going to graduate this year and needed all the time she could get in to graduate. Hinata had developed a case of fainting every time she got near him, making it impossible to train with her, Sakura and Ino pined over some new kid coming to the academy today, and now he bumped into someone who rubbed his nose in being the dead last of his class. As if Kiba wasn't bad enough for doing stuff like that.

_"Kill him. Stab him in the throat from behind."_ The voice in his head whispered. For awhile now, the voice had been getting louder and louder until he could even hear when the voice slept in his head, which disturbed him slightly.

Walking into the classroom, he noticed Kiba in his parka talking to his little white pup and partner, Akamaru. Thanking whatever Kami was watching out for him for at least this bit of good fortune, he moved to his seat in the middle of the classroom and sat down. He watched as Ino and Sakura tried to push through the doorway at the same time, fighting with each other and shrieking their pet names for each other at the top of their lungs before bursting through the doorway and headed for their seats, never taking a breath as the shouting continued.

A few other students walked into the room before the 30 something image of their teacher walked in. With brown hair tied back like the Anko woman and a scar over the bridge of his nose that ran from under one eye to the other, many of the student referred to Iruka sensei as the class dolphin. "Ok, class, settle down." The kind voice called out before getting an angry look on his face. "Shut Up!" Iruka shouted, his head looking like it had grown to four sizes too large for his body. Everyone quieted instantly.

"I have an announcement today." Naruto groaned silently to himself. Announcements were never good, they usually involved Naruto getting blamed for someone else's practical jokes. He had thought about committing such deeds, but he didn't want the town to hate him even worse than what they already did, and he didn't want Teuchi and Ayame-chan to get less business because he frequented there. "We have a new student today joining our class. Please, come in and introduce yourself."

Naruto lifted his eyes and waited, only to growl in his throat as the boy he had bumped into outside of the school walked in. He gave everyone a glance over, getting the girls to squeal in delight and the guys to groan in disgust. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I'll be in this class till I graduate." He turned to Iruka and asked, "Can I get my seat now?"

Iruka blinked at the boy before nodding his head. "Of course, your seat will be…" Naruto was getting a bad feeling as the voice started whispering urgently to kill the boy now before he pissed it off any more, "next to Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, please raise your hand."

It sucked to be right…

* * *

**Yes, it's nearly canon, I know this. Normally, Naruto didn't kill the kidnapper that nearly took Hinata, Ino wouldn't introduce Sakura to Naruto and Anko and Kurenai wouldn't be only 6-7 years older than Naruto. I would have added a mention about arranged marriage for the Kazekage and Yondaime of Konoha right after the fight with Kyuubi, but that would lead somewhere awkward later on. The first official chapter will start at the end of the school year when Naruto is 12 and the canon line was supposed to pick up, so now that the history/backstory is written, the rest can begin.**

**Information Time:**

**Kyuubi no Kitsune - Nine Tail Fox Demon**

**Shiki Fuujin - Corpse Spirit Sealing**

**Yondaime - Fourth Fireshadow**

**Sandaime - Third Fireshadow**

**ANBU - Elite Ninja protecting the Hokage, like the president and his secret service**

**For any other questions, comments, information - Go to www dot leafninja dot com They have many diagrams, skills, and biographies. That site is not owned by me, but is well done and should be used as a source of information for anyone who is still confused**


	2. Meeting your Demons

**Here's the next chapter, the official first chapter to this story. It will be following the canon storyline, but I am stretching out the time somewhat, allowing them to age better before they go and throw themselves into mortal peril. It'll build up relationships better, trust me on this.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not owned by me, or this is the way the canon would have gone. Thank goodness I don't own it, huh?**

* * *

(_**present day, graduation test**_)

* * *

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't pass you." Iruka said with a stoic face as he tapped the papers in front of himself, his eyes closed and his voice solemn.

Naruto remained standing where he was, looking down at the floor with his face shadowed. The attempts of his bunshin were lying on the ground, deflated and with a face that looked like someone had fed them nitrous oxide. Iruka frowned at Naruto, wishing that there was something he could have done for the boy who had been tormented by his fellow classmates all year long. The lonely orphan boy reminded him of himself after the Kyuubi's attack, though he was a bit more sullen and tended to be caught talking to himself.

_"I told you it was pointless, kit."_ The voice spoke in his head, mocking him. _"You don't have to be a ninja to kill. We will start with that teacher…"_

"Shut up." Naruto growled, his hair shifting in a wind that wasn't there. He turned and walked from the room away from the classroom and eventually out of the building. He didn't want to be here to hear their voices when they started to mock him, he didn't care about any of them anyways.

He voice had been loud enough to talk to for the last year. He was twelve now, old enough to be a ninja in the village of Konoha. He had been on his own for half of his life in an apartment that was as run down as his patience. Oyaji Sarutobi had done what he could, and the ANBU had checked in on him from time to time, but they couldn't do anything for him that he didn't want to do.

_"Who should we slaughter first?"_ The voice continued to speak in his head as he walked from the school grounds and down the street. _"That child over there looks too happy for my tastes. We should kill that one first, maybe."_ The voice chuckled darkly in his head, making his hair stand on end with its killer intent.

He tried to suppress the voice in his head, to shut it up, but as with all the time's he tried to silence it, it mocked him with its laughter. He walked back to his house with his head down, staring at the road in front of his feet so that he could avoid the looks from the people around him. He didn't want to have to look at their eyes and see the disgust and hatred that was there in those shiny orbs. It would just make the voice louder.

"Naruto!" A voice called to him and he turned around to look at it. A man with dull silver hair came running up to him with a bandana done up on his head, smiling at him. The large four way star strapped to his back stuck out over his head and past his shoulders as he ran through the streets. Most people wouldn't smile at him, but Mizuki was a strange one compared to the rest of the adults.

"Hey, Naruto. I heard you didn't pass the bunshin part of the exam." Mizuki had tried to be the one to grade Naruto since he was a teacher at the academy, but Iruka outranked him by a year.

"I'm sorry for wasting all your time trying to teach me, Mizuki sensei." Naruto spoke softly as he stared at the ground, embarrassed to fail a person who had treated him well since coming to the academy to teach, replacing the red eyed Kurenai in Genjutsu.

"It happens, Naruto." Mizuki smiled as he ruffled the rough spiky blonde hair of the boy. "I heard you found every trap on the stealth and evasion course, though. No one's ever done that before, at least, none of the students."

Naruto smiled at that. He had spent years running through the streets and back alleys of Konoha, trying to hide from the people who would try to throw stuff at him or beat him. Those years of evasion had paid off for that part of the test.

"Come with me, Naruto, I wanna talk with you in private." Mizuki looked around at the people in the street, watching them warily as they eyed him and Naruto with suspicion.

Naruto follwed the man to a secluded spot on a roof not too far away, jumping from the streets to an awning and finally to the roofs. Motioning for Naruto to join him, he sat down on the edge and looked off across the downtown district of Konoha. "Ya know, Naruto, failing the first time on the exam isn't so bad. You can always try again next year."

Naruto didn't answer, staring off at where the sky met the ground and wondering if there was something beyond Konoha that didn't hate him.

Mizuki eyed Naruto discreetly before leaning back and staring above them both. "Ya know, Naruto. I heard there was another way to graduate with your class." Naruto didn't even move while Mizuki spoke, making him wonder if he was even listening. "There's a test that involves the Hokage's tower, a large scroll called the Forbidden Jutsu scroll, and a hut outside of Konoha by about a mile south east of the main gate. I heard that if a student could get to the scroll and bring it to the hut without being caught, then they would be considered skilled enough to graduate, no matter how bad their other performances were in their test."

Naruto turned his head to him, the squint eye look on his face that made him unreadable. Mizuki hated that look from him, he could never tell if Naruto cared about what he was saying or was even concerned enough to pay attention.

"If you really want to go about and become a ninja, Naruto, then this is about the only way to do it." Mizuki raised his finger up in front of himself, as if pointing this fact out to him. "Course, if you want to go through another year of academy training, that's up to you, too. Just thought I'd give up a head's up in case no one told you."

Naruto stared at him with the same impenetrable gaze before turning and staring off at the horizon once again, his thoughts his own and making Mizuki grimace in anger.

The voice in Naruto's head had his focus for the time being. _"A scroll to get out of the Hokage's tower. We could use that scroll to learn new ways to kill people, since your form is so weak compared to mine."_ Naruto's brow ticked, wondering why the voice always referred to their body as inferior. _"We need to learn new ways to kill, and that blasted academy has taught us all it can."_

Naruto hesitated, wondering if he should bother going back to the academy. None of the students would know him, but then again, he'd have to go through everything all over again and be ridiculed by those that had graduated this year. They point and whisper like the villagers, pointing out the dobe who couldn't do a simply bunshin, and then the new class would hear it.

"Mizuki sensei." Naruto stood up, not turning back to face his teacher. "Arigatou." He jumped off of the roof and landed in the street, walking off again without deciding what to do.

Mizuki watched him with narrowed eyes, his Chuunin vest shifting as he stood up. If Naruto was going to do it, it would raise alarms everywhere. He would have rather known when Naruto was going to attempt to steal the scroll so he could sneak in and steal the Forbidden Scroll while Naruto was causing a distraction, but now he would have to find someone else.

* * *

Naruto couldn't sleep, or more to the point, the voice in his head wouldn't let him sleep. It wouldn't shut up about him getting that scroll Mizuki had mentioned, but then again, Mizuki didn't say how he was supposed to get the scroll in the first place. Maybe that was the test itself, to sneak into the Hokage's tower, grab the Forbidden Jutsu scroll, and to get away without being caught.

He got up and looked out the cracked window pane in his bedroom.The Hokage's tower had been his favorite hiding spot when he had been the little orphan boy and ran around with Sandaime jii-san inside the tower. He knew eight places that he could still crawl into, and several more that would be tight fits, but possible. The voice growled in anticipation as Naruto got up and undressed out of his lime green pajama's and night cap with googly eyes and two bucked teeth on it.

It would be easy enough to get inside and back out before anyone would know he had even been there. The hard part would be finding the right scroll.

* * *

The alarm was sounded at three o'clock in the morning.

The usual rounds were taken, the places of the most sensitive articles were patrolled, only when they got to a certain section in the record room where the Forbidden Jutsu scroll was supposed to be hidden did they realize that there had been a break in.

Sandaime Sarutobi stared at the spot where the scroll was supposed to be at, the Genjutsu still in place and looking like a solid bookshelf. Focusing a bit of chakra into his eyes to see through the Genjutsu, he could see the pedestal and the glass container that had housed the scroll for several years open and empty.

Turning around the assembled Chuunin and Jounin, Sarutobi waved his arm in front of himself outward and away. "Find Uzumaki Naruto at all costs. Retrieve the scroll but do not kill him."

With a shouted "Yes!", the ninja spread out in every direction, looking for the missing scroll. Sarutobi sighed deeply, looking out toward Naruto's home. "Naruto, what have you done this time?"

* * *

The little run down shack had been exactly where Mizuki had said it was going to be at. Placing the scroll down on the floor, he kicked it over against a far wall and looked around. Mizuki didn't know where he was just yet, but if the alarm had been sounded, it wouldn't take him long to get here. Now it was just a matter of time to wait for the man.

_"We could learn so much from the scroll."_ The voice crooned in his mind, making his skin prickle.

"That wasn't a part of the test." Naruto muttered to himself aloud, beginning to pace back and forth.

_"We completed the test."_ The voice in his head pointed out. _"We will need to be prepared for when we become ninjas."_

Naruto shook his head, as if able to shake away the voice. "Our chakra is too messed up to learn anything. We practiced for years just trying to do the leaf test."

The voice snarled in the back of his head. _"Foolish kit. Just because today we cannot do the techniques doesn't mean that years away we won't be able to do them."_

Naruto tilted his head with the blank look on his face. True, one didn't become a great ninja as soon as they graduated from the academy, or the Sannin would never have needed Sarutobi jii-san. He looked at the scroll again, this time without the voice inside of him egging him onwards to open it.

Moving over to the scroll, he picked it up and brought it over to the only window in the small hut like building before opening it out and spreading it as wide as he could. He glances over something about dead clans and mentioned family jutsus, but he didn't pay any attention to it as me moved straight to the jutsus themselves.

The first jutsu he came to looked deceptively easy, though the hand sign for the jutsu didn't make any sense to him. The standard twelve hand seals that he had been taught in the academy looked nothing like the one diagramed in the scroll. He read it, the voice in his head seeming to look out of his eyes and look over the scroll in front of 'them'.

_"A jutsu to create a physical manifestation of the user."_ The voice growled softly, intrigued. _"Humans were pathetic, but they were always the craftiest prey I ever met."_

Naruto dismissed the voice's comment by habit, he was more interested in the description of the jutsu. If he made the hand seal and pushed chakra through it to a position outside of his body, the chakra would work along the lines of a regular bunshin, except this version needed a massive amount of chakra to push out all at once to become physical.

Maybe he would at least remember the hand seals and work on his chakra later.

* * *

Mizuki raced through the woods for the little hut. He didn't know how Naruto had managed to get the scroll out of the Hokage's tower, but now that it was out, he was going to take advantage of Naruto's luck and do the village of the leaf a favor by killing the demon. It would be a shame that the scroll would be lost during the fight, but those kinds of sacrifices happened all the time. He'd come back and take claim of all the skills in the scroll, boosting his talent enough to finally be able to get out of Chuunin and to Jounin, getting his career back on track.

He had to hurry, though. Iruka was somewhere in the area, and he had to bluff the kind hearted teacher on more than one occasion that he had not seen anything, but was still looking around for where Naruto may have disappeared off to.

Within minutes, he came into sight of the hut and waited for a few moments to see if anyone had followed him. He waited in the darkness and the shadows, looking around for anyone before making a hand sign and starting a subtle Genjutsu around the area, making anyone who would come across this area unable to see the house. He jumped down from his perch and stepped up next to the doorway before looking back into the forest.

There was motion above him. The form of Iruka landed in the exact same tree he had been in just moments before, looking around intently at the ground and the forest around him. A white clad woman in black hair landed nearby and Mizuki cursed, recognizing the Genjutsu mistress even without having to see her face.

Mizuki turned and burst into the hut, Naruto picking himself and the huge scroll up from the ground. "We can't stay, Naruto. They've found this place, we need to leave now."

Naruto turned to face him, holding the scroll in front of him. "Mizuki sensei, what's going on?"

Mizuki stepped forward, a harried look on his face, making Naruto step back reflexively. "There's no time, Naruto. We need to…" He looked back over his shoulder as he felt his Genjutsu being dispelled. "Naruto…" Mizuki spoke softly, making Naruto nervous with his voice.

The kunai that sprung up in Naruto's shoulder took him by surprise. He stared at the metal that stood out from his shoulder and the blood that flew up into the air from the blow before a second hit him in his leg and a third grazed his head. He dropped the scroll reflexively, watching roll out of the way as Mizuki reached back behind him to the huge shuriken on his back.

"At last," Mizuki hissed with insanity in his eyes, "I will be given my due by the village for being the one to kill the Kyuubi no Youko!"

The wall to their side burst in as Iruka crushed through the flimsy material, tearing the window frame up as he bodily threw himself into the building. "Mizuki!" Iruka shouted as he got in between Naruto and Mizuki, taking the shuriken strike to his back as he cradled Naruto to himself.

"Iruka!" Kurenai cried out as she threw several shuriken toward Mizuki. He weapons whipped into the house from the hole Iruka had just made.

Mizuki pulled out the shuriken in Iruka's back, using it as a makeshift shield before kicking the Forbidden Jutsu scroll up into his hands. "I've done the hidden leaf a favor by killing the fox demon. I'll just have to be the only survivor of the Kyuubi showing his true face!"

* * *

Naruto awoke in a dank place, fetid and dark with a terrible smell and a worse feel to it. Concrete hallways and rusting pipes stood out all over leading here and there, but mostly out of the room he was in to a dark pathway behind him. He groaned and sat up in the water that seemed to flow underneath of him, wondering what had happened.

"I remember Mizuki telling me to leave, and then…" Naruto mumbled to himself.

**"Then I brought you here, worthless gaki, or more like, you fell in all on your own."** A dark, loud voice rolled over everything, making him feel dirtied just feeling the vibrations of the syllables crashing into him.

Naruto's eyes snapped up to a large gate made into a prison. The kanji for seal firmly etched into the metal of the gate's main lock in the center of the gate drew Naruto's eyes while he tried to see past the bars to the voice beyond. The gate looked brand new and gleamed in the dimness of the room, unrusted or tarnished from the water that seemed to flow outward from inside the prison or gate.

Eyes larger than his body peered out from past the metal bars, eyes wider than a store front that was slit down their center, elongated up and downward and backed by two yellow moons, one for each. The eyes were rimmed in red eyelids on a black background, the yellow that surrounded the slitted irises seemed to pierce him in his place.

**"To think that I would be trapped in a vessel such as yourself."** He voice mocked him, continuing to dirty him from the feel of each word while Naruto's anger grew.

Jumping to his feet, Naruto shouted toward the gate. "Who the hell are you? What happened to me?"

The eyes narrowed as they scrutinized him. **"I have been called many things over many lifetimes."** The voice growled, making the ground where Naruto stood shake. **"I was called the greatest demon of the all. I was the ruler of Makai and servant to no one. I was a force of nature of your fire country and killer to all that stands in my way!"**

Naruto clenched his fist. "I said I wanted to know who you are, not your exploits!"

**"Foolish mortal!"** The force of wind that ripped passed Naruto with killer intent made his legs go weak. **"You should feel honored I haven't ripped your very soul to shreds for irritating me! Your life has been a joke and the pain you've received over the years should have been given back to those who have tried to maim us!"**

A flash of red threw itself at the gate, the echo of metal against metal reverberating around the room while a pained howl came from the other side of the bars where the eyes had disappeared from.

"You're the voice in my head." Naruto mumbled, earning him a dark chuckle.

**"So you're not as idiotic as your clothes make you out to be."** The eyes opened again, closed slightly as if the face that held them was smiling.

"I told you there's nothing wrong with orange!" Naruto pumped his fist toward the gate, taking a step forward.

**"Only if you want the entire village to see where you are at all times!"** The voice snarled at him, the outline of a gigantic body coming close to the bars on all fours. **"Wear something that screams 'Here I am, come kick my ass!' some more, we don't get beat enough every day, do we?"**

This time Naruto growled at the gate. It was true that his clothes were a bit brighter than he would have liked, but seeing as these were the only clothes he had been given, right down to the colors, by Sarutobi jii-san, he wasn't about to make the old man sad.

"Are you going to tell me your name or what?!?" Naruto's patience was thin, especially with this thing bringing up a past he'd rather forget.

**"I am the Kyuubi no Youko, you worthless sack of flesh!"** The teeth that appeared close to the bars made Naruto flinch, but he didn't step back from them. The mouth that bared the colossal white fangs of the Kyuubi dwarfed anything he had ever seen before, but he was not about to show this …thing… any fear what so ever.

"Why did you bring me here? Where is here?" Naruto didn't raise his voice, though he wanted to shout at the thing in front of him badly.

**"I didn't bring you here. You fell in here on your own."** The Kyuubi backed away from the bars, returning back into the darkness beyond the gate. **"Why would you think I would bring you in here? I cannot kill you and you cannot do anything to me."**

Naruto went reaching for his shuriken pack on his hip, only to find that it wasn't there. If it was in the water on the floor, it'd be near impossible to find it. "You still haven't told me where here is, Kyuubi."

**"Don't speak my name, kit."** The voice of the demon growled darkly. **"I don't want you dirtying it with your human mouth."**

"Where are we?" Naruto shouted at the Kyuubi and the Kyuubi lashed at the gate once again.

**"We're inside you where you and I meet!"** The beast hissed angrily, the nine tails of the demon fox lashing wildly behind it. **"Your mind and mine are linked to that light blasted seal on your stomach!"** The fox settled back away from the bars again. **"I can only assume that this place is what the seal looks like from the inside."**

Naruto looked around the room once again, wondering if the seal was doing this, or the fox was lying somehow. "How do I get out of here?" Naruto asked the fox, his hand reaching for his missing shuriken pack.

The demon fox snorted. **"You're asking the captive of the seal how to get out of here."** It looked around the room itself. **"If I knew how to get out of here, I would have killed you and your entire village years ago for the pain they've put us through."**

"You can feel what I feel?" Naruto asked, looking suspiciously at the demon.

**"I am sealed in you, kit."** The fox growled in its throat. **"Anything that happens to you, I feel, which is why I have told you for years to kill those foolish humans."**

Naruto scowled at the fox demon. Now he understood why he had come close a few times to drawing a weapon on the people of the village, and why they hated him. He had been the container of the Kyuubi no Youko for as long as he had been alive, and they had been trying to kill him and the demon at the same time. He clenched his fist at the indignity of living through those beatings, his body inexplicably healing over and over again to cure him of any wound he had taken.

"One day…" Naruto whispered before looking up at the demon fox, locking gazes with it, "I'll find a way to kill you for the pain you've made my life!"

The fox stared at him for a while before its muzzle pulled back, baring its fangs. **"When you find a way to release me, gaki, I'll be more than glad to end your insufferable life."**

"Naruto! Hang in there!" His eyes seemed to snap toward the red orbs in front of him. He glanced around at the broken hut he was laying in, the kunai's removed from his shoulder and leg had been bandaged and he was being talked to by Kurenai sensei.

"Where…?" Naruto mumbled as he sat up, brushing off Kurenai's hand as he looked around. "What happened?"

"Mizuki ran off with the Forbidden Jutsu scroll." Kurenai explained as she tried to push Naruto back to lie down. "Iruka went off to stop him."

"Iruka sensei?" Naruto asked before brushing off Kurenai's hand and jumping to his feet. "This is all my fault!" He went to run outside of the hut to track down Mizuki, but his hand was grabbed hold of by Kurenai.

"Naruto! You're severely hurt! Stay here and wait for backup and I'll go back up Iruka." She stood up, looking down into Naruto's brilliant blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai sensei." He jerked his hand out of her grip and ran out of the hut. "I got to make things right!" He jumped up and into the limbs of the nearest tree before taking off from her. He thought he heard Kurenai call out once to him to stop, but she didn't come after him.

He ran around for awhile, unsure where he was supposed to go to catch up to Iruka and Mizuki, but eventually caught the sounds of metal careening into metal. Bounding over in the direction of the sounds of fighting, he made it just in time to hear Mizuki calling out to an injured Iruka.

"He's the fox demom made flesh, you foolish old man." Mizuki shouted down at a badly bleeding Iruka. "He killed your own parents when the Kyuubi attack the village twelve years ago! You should be helping me!"

"Naruto didn't kill anyone twelve years ago!" Iruka shouted back. "He may have the Kyuubi inside of him, but that doesn't give anyone the right to hate him for the demon trapped in his body. What you and the rest of the village do to him daily is wrong!"

"If you won't help me kill him, then I'll just have to kill you first!" Mizuki shouted as he ripped free the giant shuriken from his back and began to spin it from the hole in the center of the bladed weapon. Iruka made to jump out of the way, but because of the wounds on his legs and arms, he was unable to move as Mizuki threw the star at him.

Mizuki launched the rapidly spinning shuriken at the defenseless Iruka, grinning madly as the weapon whistled through the air and into the chest of Iruka, whose eyes seemed to pop from his head in pain. He began to hunch over before his body was obscured in a cloud of smoke and was replaced with a piece of log.

"Kawarimi?" Mizuki thought as he looked around for Iruka, waiting for the counter attack.

As he turned around on the limb he was standing on, he noticed a bright orange suit and blonde hair.

"You thought I'd let you kill my teacher after hearing all that?" Naruto shouted, holding up with his body as Iruka slumped up against him.

"You should be dead, Demon!" Mizuki tossed the Forbidden scroll down toward the ground, jumping off and away to his huge shuriken embedded in a tree and through a log.

"You're gonna wish I was!" Naruto eased Iruka into the crook of the tree before turning back and facing Mizuki. "Now you're gonna see my power, not the power of the Kyuubi inside of me!" Naruto raised his hands in front of himself, making a cross shape with his two fingers on either hand. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Mizuki ripped the weapon free and turned around only to drop the weapon in fear. Everywhere his eyes could travel, there were Naruto's. They all had their arms crossed and they all looked angry as they stared down at the now shocked Mizuki. Iruka glanced around in disbelief at all of the Bunshin, wondering how Naruto had done it without passing out.

"Guys." Naruto said as he pointed down at Mizuki. "Make his life Hell!"

All of the Naruto's shouted their exuberance as they leapt from their position, fighting over each other to get to Mizuki, who screamed in fear. Kurenai arrived a few moments later to an all out Naruto melee with Mizuki as the punching bag. Only one Naruto who remained standing before Iruka remained outside of the fighting, as if protecting his sensei from harm.

"Naruto." Kurenai called out as she landed on the same limb, eyeing the blonde as he kept his gaze firmly on the dog pile going on below him. "Did you do all of that?"

Naruto nodded. "Mizuki tried to kill Iruka sensei. He tried to make Iruka side with him after hurting him."

Kurenai glanced over to Iruka who had already begun to bandage his wounds carefully. She moved over and knelt next to Iruka, helping him patch himself up. "He's really something else, isn't he?" Iruka groaned as he gave a weak smile to Kurenai.

Kurenai glanced down at the fight that was starting to wind down. "Are those Bunshin? They look so real…"

"They're Bunshin alright, special Bunshin." Iruka grunted to Kurenai as she cinched off a bandage around his stomach. "Naruto, come here for a moment, would you?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder as Kurenai helped him up to his feet. He walked over to both of them with an unreadable look on his face as he stood before both of them.

"Close your eyes, Naruto." Iruka smiled at him, making one's of Naruto's eyebrows rise before he complied with his sensei. He could feel something being applied to his head, but he waited for Iruka to finish whatever he was doing. "Ok, you can open your eyes now."

Naruto opened his eyes and reached up to his forehead, not seeing the smile on either of Kurenai or Iruka's faces. He could feel a metal plate and a stylized leaf symbol on it.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You passed." Iruka announced happily to the blonde boy.

Naruto looked up at the both of them, his face unreadable as he processed what he had been told. Tilting his head down, he shuddered in place as emotions he thought he'd never show again rushed up through him. Stepping forward hurriedly, he reached around Kurenai and Iruka and squeezed tightly as he cried into the shirt of Iruka softly, tears long held back finally having a use.

Iruka and Kurenai passed a look between each other before they both wrapped an arm around Naruto, letting him cry himself out.

* * *

"So it was Mizuki who hurt Iruka and tried to kill Naruto?" Sarutobi asked Iruka and Kurenai as Iruka was being checked out by a medic in the first aid room of the city hospital.

"He also told Naruto about the fox demon." Kurenai added from her place against the wall, her arms crossed in front of herself as she looked from Sandaime to Iruka.

The medic nin finished stitching up Iruka and gave him a blood pill from the loss of blood before pronouncing him fit, but restricting him to light work and no heavy missions.

Sarutobi scowled as he imagined what Naruto was going through in his head. "Mizuki will be handled to the fullest extent of the law." Sarutobi announced, verifying that the betrayer was as good as dead. "How was Naruto?" Sarutobi asked, looking at Iruka specifically.

"Still as surprising as ever, Hokage-sama." Iruka smiled as he worked his arm, getting a feel for how far he could move without wincing. "He managed to learn a technique from the Forbidden Jutsu scroll and use it against Mizuki, which is how we subdued him."

Sarutobi winced, but hid it quickly from the smiling teacher. "Which technique did he learn?" It couldn't have been the Shiki Fuujin or he would have already been dead.

"Kage Bunshin, Sir." Kurenai answered, catching Sarutobi's eye. "There were pretty close to one hundred clones, and he wasn't tired after summoning them."

Sarutobi's eyes seemed to enlarge for a second before he smiled genuinely. "It would explain why he wouldn't be able to create a regular Bunshin then. Too much chakra."

"Which is why I am going to be graduating him, Sir." Iruka said as he stood up from the examining table. "It wouldn't be fair to prevent him from graduating after helping in the capture of a rogue ninja and protecting class S secrets from falling into the wrong hands."

"Agreed." Sarutobi said as she smirked for a second. "I'm making Mizuki's capture a class C mission and marking it as complete. It will be sealed as a Class S secret, but will be written on both of your records as completed, including our newest Genin." He made sure he received confirmation from both of his ninjas before nodding back and walking out of the room.

"Heh, first mission Naruto goes on is written up as a C rank even before he joins a team." Iruka said as he scratched at the back of his head. "He truly is going to be an amazing ninja some day."

"I hope so." Kurenai sighed as she looked out the window of the room to the brightening skies. "He's dealt with so much already. It'd be nice for something to go right for him for a change."

Iruka smiled wistfully at the red eyed Genjutsu mistress. "You like him, don't you?" She looked at him confused before blushing lightly.

"You can't love someone who's your subordinant." Kurenai spoke calmly, the blush never leaving her face. "It'd lead to complications."

"I guess he'd better hurry up and become a Jounin then. Making a lady wait is cruel." Iruka smiled before walking out of the room before Kurenai, leaving her in the room with her thoughts as she watched the sun begin to come up.

* * *

Naruto was sitting in the room as the graduates walked in, all of them giving him a curious eye. He didn't care what they had to say, he had his mission complete paperwork with him just so he could rub it in people's faces when they asked what he was doing there. He waited and kept waiting as the new Genin walked into the room one at a time, Hinata hesitating at the doorway when she saw him only to smile a moment later and shyly wave in his direction.

She walked his isle and stopped in front of him. "C-congratulations, Naruto-kun." She smiled weakly at him, her pale iris less eyes crinkling up in true joy.

"Thank you, Hinata-san." Naruto spoke quietly to her, not taking his eyes off the doorway for the troublemakers of their class that had managed to graduate.

"P-please, N-naruto-kun. Y-you d-don't have to call m-me san." Hinata fiddled with her fingers as she turned her eyes downward to the floor.

"Hey, who let that failure in here?" came a brazen shout followed closely by a short bark from the doorway. Hinata's eyes snapped up and turned to the doorway as both her and Naruto locked on to the local beast tamer of Konoha's genin graduates, Inuzuka Kiba. His eyes were slitted chips of onyx in a snide face with matching red slashes on each cheek that looked like red fangs.

"Kiba-kun." Hinata spoke sadly as she turned to look at Naruto with an encouraging grin before scrambing for the back of the room and her seat.

Naruto sat up straighter as he waited for Kiba, who wasted no time to march up to Naruto in his grey coat with hood and his brown pants making him look savage. "Did you get something confused, loser?" Kiba said as he stared into Naruto's squinting face. "School let out for a month, then you can retry to become a ninja like us." He laughed at his own joke, his small white dog barking as he laughed.

Naruto unrolled his completion sheet and held it up in front of himself. Seeing that Naruto had something to show him, Kiba took the paper from him and read it with his dog, who was sitting on his head. His eyes seemed to glance over the paperwork until he got near the bottom where his eyes grew to twice their size.

"This some kind of joke, loser?" Kiba shouted as the Uchiha prodigy walked into the room. "It says here you completed a rank C mission, but that's impossible for a loser like you."

Sasuke glowered hatefully at the blonde dobe and the loudmouth dog boy. A failure like him was allowed to go on his very own C ranked mission and he completed it? Uchiha glared his black eyes at Naruto, wondering what kind of weak mission they gave the boy. Walking up the isleway, he pushed past the Inuzuka who could only stare incredibly at Naruto while he took a seat next to him, hoping to find out exactly how a non Genin manages to get a mission.

Before he has a chance to ask Naruto, the sounds of feet stomping and loud shouting. Sasuke Uchiha sighed deeply as a blonde woman in a ponytail and blue clothing tried shoving herself into the room first as a pink haired, green eyed girl in a red Chinese top that hung down to her bike shorts tried doing the same thing at the exact same time.

"I made it here first, billboard brow!" The blonde haired, blue eyed girl screamed in the girl's face.

"I'll be the first one to sit next to Sasuke-kun, Ino pig!" The pink haired girl hissed back into the other girl's face.

While the girl's drew the attention of the entire room, Naruto took back his sheet of paper from the Inuzuka boy. Sasuke looked overtop of Naruto's head at Kiba. "Oy." Sasuke called to him, getting the boy's attention. "Sit here before either of those idiot's makes it through the door."

Before Kiba could move, both the blonde girl and the pink haired girl somehow managed to get through the doorway at the same time before staring at each other hatefully. Both of them seemed to look up at Sasuke at the same time and the only available seat still open. Both of them ran shoulder to shoulder for the same seat, storming over Kiba who could only watch his death approaching before it ran him down physically. Both pushed roughly past Naruto and as gently as they could when going past Sasuke before they both tried to jump into the seat.

"I sat here first, Ino pig." The pink haired girl glared hotly as she tried to elbow the blonde out of her seat.

"In your dreams, billboard brow." The blonde growled heatedly back into the pink haired girl's face, giving her an elbow just as hard to the ribs.

"ENOUGH!" The shout from the front of the room made everyone sit up straight and take notice as Iruka took the podium in the front of the room. "Honestly, your Genin now. Try acting like it!" Eyeing the students around the room, he picked out Naruto sitting on the isle with a trodden upon Kiba laying prone in the floor. "Naruto, could you please put Kiba into your seat and come here please."

Doing as his sensei asked, he could hear the pink haired girl ask the blonde, "What's he doing here anyways? I thought he failed his test?"

Situating Kiba's twitching body in his chair and across the top of his desk, Naruto came down and stood next to Iruka who had him turn around and face the class. "If you haven't heard by now, then let me be the first to tell you, since I was there." The class seemed to be on the edge of their seat as they waited for Iruka to continue. "Last night, there was an incident that was classified S class secret, however, what I can say about it is that I and Naruto here went on a mission involved with this secret and managed to accomplish it."

Murmurs started up around the room, but Iruka coughing into his hand put a stop to it. "The mission was given a C rank difficulty that both I and Naruto helped to complete with a Jounin you all taught under. That is all we can say about it."

Many curious eyes turned to Naruto who remained standing next to Iruka, shifting in place as the Kyuubi inside of him stirred. "I will now assign you your Jounin leaders for you to train under. Please memorize the squad you're on as you will most likely live, sleep, eat, and die with this squad until you become Chuunin and Jounin."

Naruto zoned out for a moment and found himself in front of the big metal gate that served as the seal for the Kyuubi. The monster was staring down at him, growling as it breathed.

**"So, you have returned."** It spoke to him, snapping his attention up to it.

"What is your problem already?" Naruto asked, hands on his hips as he stared defiantly up at the fox demon. "I want nothing to do with you, don't you get that?"

The eyes of the fox narrowed as its tails lashed furiously back and forth. **"You and I have no choice in dealing with each other."** The fox leaned forward, looming greatly over Naruto from behind the bars. **"I'd rather scrape you off my paw than be bothered with you."**

Naruto made to retort, but cocked his head to the side and closed his mouth with a click. "Your voice is different."

The Kyuubi grunted, settling back onto its haunches. **"It's because of your human physiology that my voice sounds different."** The clueless look on Naruto's face irked the Kyuubi. **"Let me speak in small words for your tiny brain to understand."** Naruto's face squinted in anger, but he kept silent. **"Demons don't have physical bodies. We can become physical through force of will, but we have no gender. Being trapped in your body is forcing me to become gender specific."**

Naruto tilted his head one side, then the other as he processed this. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to get his brain to work harder. "You're becoming a guy?" Naruto assumed, guessing out loud.

**"I am becoming something."** Kyuubi grumbled under its breath as it eyed Naruto hatefully. **"All humans have the possibility in them to be male or female ingrained in their being. Yours turned you male, but you still have the base code for female in you. I could become one or the other."**

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Naruto asked, giving his best confused look at the demon.

The demon eyed him before shaking its head. **"Because I am a demon and never had a specific gender, I was able to maintain myself. When I become a specific gender, I will begin to take on more…mortal qualities."**

"Just speak plain English, will ya?" Naruto grumbled, inciting the Kyuubi into an angered frenzy.

**"I will have the need to mate!"** The beast shouted as it paced in front of its cage.

Naruto's eyes widened in realization before another thought crossed his mind. "Exactly why is that a bad thing?"

The fox demon turned from Naruto and headed into the darkness at the back of the gated area. **"Sometimes I forget I'm dealing with a human child."** It muttered out loud, causing Naruto to shout angrily.

He snapped back into reality as his name was called. "Team 7 headed by Hatake Kakashi will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura," the pink hair girl groaned sadly at her plight, being stuck with the trouble maker of Konoha, "and Uchiha Sasuke." She turned around and shouted her victory over the rest of the groaning girls who were either pining their loss or giving her a deadly glare.

"Team 8 will be run by your old teacher, Yuuhi Kurenai, and will be Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino." Iruka said, noticing the slightly hitching of shoulder as their names were called, though a sad glance assed over Naruto. "I believe Team 9 is still in use so Team 10 will be run by Sarutobi Asuma and manned by Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino."

A skinny boy with a pineapple haircut sitting next to a plump kid with spirals on his cheeks and looked to be wearing boxers on his head so his hair would come out of the legs both looked down at the blonde who was groaning out loud. "Troublesome." The skinny boy muttered with a dark look on his face.

"It's not that bad, Shikamaru." Chouji said as he put his bag of potato chips down for a second. "We're on the same team, so it can't be all that bad."

Shikamaru looked at his friend. "Try telling her that." He was pointing at the blonde girl who was looking back at the both of them.

"Look," Ino pointed at the both of them from where she sat, "Just because I'm paired with the two of you doesn't mean I'm going to be putting up with your stupidity. You're both gonna work your butts off even if I have to beat you daily to do it."

"Man, what a slave driver." Chouji picked his potato chip bag and stuffed a handful into his mouth.

"So troublesome." Shikamaru stated blandly, already tuning her out.

"I believe that does it." Iruka said as he picked up the sheets of paper before him and turned to all of his students. "For those of you moving onwards and to the field, remember one important thing. No matter what anyone tells you, you are always who you were meant to be on the inside. Never let anyone stop you from doing what you think is right."

Iruka reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair with a smile for the boy before turning back to the class. "Alright, break for lunch. Make sure your back in an hour to meet your new sensei and to start your initiation into the world of being ninja."

**"Guess that means you're screwed."** Kyuubi spoke to Naruto with a mocking laugh as he went rigid. **"If you're to stay true to your inner you, then that means you'll become like me on the outside, only without the fur and the claws."**

Naruto grimaced and mentally thought to the Kyuubi, "I will not turn out to be you, demon fox. I will find a way to slay you one day and be rid of your cursed existence once and for all. Believe it!"

The voice seemed to sink into the back of his mind as it spoke. **"Fight fate all you want, kit. In the end, the demon's always win."

* * *

Threw everybody a curveball there for a bit, didn't I? I guarantee nothing between Kurenai and Iruka, but then again, I guarantee nothing with any pairings at any time. as I get to the females, I'll introduce them and take into consideration everyone's hatred, desire, and fandom and make something out of nothing. Hopefully it'll turn into something good. Also, hopefully, there won't be as many scene shifts as there was in this first chapter.**


	3. Genin Tests

**For those of you who don't know me, I am the Biscuit, or GB, or many other ways of saying my name. I am also known as Lord of Procrastination. I could have written this faster, but I was having problems finding pics of a certain character and her partners (whose names I made up since I couldn't find an instance where she called them by name anywhere)**

**Also, if you are wondering why the title has been changed, it is because I saw that someone had already created a Demon Within (which is what this story was titled) and I don't want to step on toes, even though our stories may not be the same (I haven't read it, so I wouldn't know)**

**Disclaimer: Names, Places, Animals, and story concept are not the property of GrizzlyBiscuit. They belong to someone richer, and less of a procrastinator.

* * *

**

normal speech

_inner monologue_

**Demon Voice**

**_Demon thinking/Inner Sakura_**

**Handseal Jutsu (only elemental attacks and genjutsu attacks)**

* * *

"What do you think, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked from behind his desk as the silver haired man with his hitai-ate draped over his left eye. He stood in front of the Hokage's desk, reading over the paperwork of the three students he was being given to teach. 

"The Uchiha I'm not too surprised about." The Jounin, Kakashi said, his hair flaring brightly up above his head in a spiky point that seemed to lean to the left at the top. "The Haruno girl I can handle, but she's going to be a bit troublesome if she's pining over the Uchiha like the rest of the girls I've heard constantly follow him around, it won't be easy to make her into something."

"And Naruto?" Sarutobi took his pipe out of his mouth and waited for Kakashi's answer.

Kakashi picked up the folder labeled Uzumaki N. Flipping open the folder, he glanced through the first paper before getting down into the psychological part of the information. He read over about the seal though who placed the seal on him was written down as a Kage level state secret amongst a few other things.

"Given the limited information here, he could be a problem as well as an asset." Kakashi gave a non committal answer. "May I speak about…?" Kakashi looked at Sarutobi in the eye, getting the Sandaime's nod. "How has the Kyuubi affected him?"

Sarutobi sighed. Tapping his pipe out, he laid it to the side before giving Kakashi a serious look. "You've watched over him up until you retired from the ANBU and I have it on good authority that you continued to look over him from time to time. You've even gotten him out of a few tight places when the locals thought that they would try to kill him."

Kakashi simply blinked, his Jounin vest hanging from his dark ninja clothing. The ninja mask over his nose and mouth hid whatever facial features he had as he looked back down into the folder.

"If the Kyuubi has affected him at all, we should have seen something of that and I think that we have in the early years of his development." Sarutobi continued as Kakashi read Naruto's biography. "When he was young, he walked on all four and had difficulty learning to speak or trusting anyone. He was able to prevent a kidnapping and even killed a Jounin class ninja by himself with no chakra whatsoever. Since that time, his chakra development is so out of control that anything lower than a B ranked skill is probably impossible for him to use without it failing utterly."

"It says here that his taijutsu and genjutsu skills are non existent." Kakashi spoke, inquiring about this abnormality.

"As you know, genjutsu requires a balanced mind and a level control of chakra to make someone believe they're seeing something that is believable without them fighting it off immediately." Sarutobi was reiterating the basics for Kakashi, but coming back around to the point. "Even if Naruto somehow managed to get some kind of control of his chakra, the Kyuubi inside of him would probably disrupt the creation of the genjutsu as it was forming."

"And the taijutsu?" Kakashi asked, closing the folder on Naruto and placing it down on the Hokage's desk.

"Not all Naruto's fault, I can assure you." Sarutobi tried not to grimace, but his villagers and most notably, his ninjas had their own idea about 'teaching' the demon fox. "He could learn fighting and it would be in his best interests to learn hand to hand combat as soon as possible, but the problem would be the style he would use. Anything too passive and the Kyuubi may cause him to be distracted too badly to learn it, too aggressive and he may have a mental break when he tries to rationalize an accident if he were to wound someone."

"Wouldn't it be better to place him with Gai then?" Kakashi asked, placing his hands in his pockets as he waited.

"That's why I wanted you to come here instead of going directly to the academy." Sarutobi picked up his pipe and slid it up his sleeve, effectively making it disappear. "If they manage to pass your Genin exam, I want you to allow Naruto to train under several different teachers for hand to hand combat."

The visible eye on Kakashi focused intently on Sandaime. "That will put a strain on the rest of my team. Favoritism isn't going to be appreciated, by any of them."

"If you feel it necessary, allow all of them to learn from the teachers. I will arrange it that his tutors will educate all of your students if necessary, but it is your primary goal to turn them into great ninjas." Sarutobi leaned back, wondering to himself if any of Team 7 would manage to prevail over Hatake Kakashi's test. To date, none had.

"Speaking of Team 7, I should be heading over to the school to meet them in person." Kakashi looked over his shoulder to the doorway and the clock perched above it. "I'm already two hours late."

"One thing." Sarutobi spoke up before Kakashi headed out. "When you finish meeting your squad, I want you to send Naruto to me, if you would." Sarutobi gave his wave of dismissal and Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Turning his chair around, Sarutobi stood up and looked out the window to gaze over Konoha. "I expect great things out of you, Naruto."

* * *

Naruto had been told that they could go to lunch, but he wasn't hungry. Well, it was a lie, but it really didn't matter in the long run. He wanted to see her because she had a kind word for him every time he was with her. Knowing that she would be coming to pick up her team, he sat and waited patiently for Kurenai to appear. 

Hinata had moved from her seat in the back of the class to sit down next to him, bringing her bento with her while the others headed outside to go eat. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and unwrapped her bento box, waiting for the last of the students to leave before turning to him as he sat slumped on his desk, arms crossed in front of him.

"N-naruto-kun." Hinata stumbled over herself, her heart racing loud enough to make her hesitant. Could he hear how fast he made her heart beat? "A-aren't you g-going to eat?"

Naruto lifted his head up to look at her with his confused face, the one that left you wondering what he was thinking behind the emotionless mask he displayed. Looking down at her box lunch, his nose flared briefly before he looked back up at her.

"I'm not hungry, Hinata-san." Naruto muttered softly as he laid his chin back down on his folded arms.

"P-please, N-naruto-kun." She dropped her eyes in embarrassment as she fiddled with her hands in nervousness. "Y-you don't h-have to c-call me san." They sat that way for several minutes before Hinata opened her bento carefully, her eyes glancing back and forth between her meal and Naruto. "I-I wonder w-what K-Kurenai sensei w-will be l-like." Hinata mumbled, Naruto's ears pricking up at the mention of Kurenai.

"She's a very nice lady." Naruto mumbled just loud enough for Hinata to look over at him. "She protected me in my first year at academy."

"Y-you know K-Kurenai sensei?" Hinata absently picked her chopsticks up, breaking them in half as she watched her Naruto. She blushed when she realized that she had just called the blonde haired boy 'her' Naruto.

"He should know me." A warm, female voice spoke as the door slid closed. Both Hinata and Naruto looked over to the red eyed, black haired Jounin who had been there teacher.

Not much had changed for her except that she had grown several more inches in height and her body had nearly finished developing. The white ribbon that wrapped around her body in such a way to look like a dress brought out the color of her nearly raven black wavy hair. The red sleeve coming out from the right side of her 'dress' was the only other color on her except for the black line that ran through the center of the ribbon as it wound around her.

Kurenai's red eyes and red lips seemed to smirk at Hinata and Naruto as she walked up to them. "It's been awhile, Naruto-kun."

Naruto stood up and went to hug Kurenai when a brown trench coat wearing kunoichi in fishnet and a skirt got in between him and Kurenai. Naruto squinted up into dull irisless brown eyes as the face holding those eyes frowned down at him.

"What do you think you're up to, gaki?" The cold voice from the purple haired woman with the brown eyes was near emotionless as it stared him down, challenging him.

"Anko." Kurenal spoke calmly, getting the woman with the pineapple hairstyle to look at her over her shoulder. "I told you that Naruto doesn't like it when people get in between me and him."

The woman known as Anko pointed down at the glaring Naruto while still looking over at her shoulder. "What's he going to do to me?" Anko asked unconcerned. "Bite my ankles off?" The moment she finished talking, she felt her finger get bitten, and hard. She had enough time to bite off a curse and try to slug Naruto before he ducked past her, pushing her to the side as he got underneath her coat and clambered onto her back.

Anko cursed liberally as she struggled to reach under her coat and pull out the clinging Naruto who would bite and claw her hands every time she took hold of him. Hinata and Kurenai watched as Anko danced around, bumping into desks and chairs as she tried to dislodge the boy.

"I did warn you." Kurenai called, amusement on her face at Anko's troubles.

The sudden cloud from Anko and lack of cursing made Naruto realize that a substitution jutsu had just been used. He let down and dropped to the floor, rolling behind a desk moments ahead of several snakes wrapping around a medical dummy and pulling it roughly out of the cloud. He heard the curses in the direction of what he guessed was the woman in the coat and went the other way, only to bump into a pair of ankles with dark leather sandals strapped to them.

Looking up, a dark smirking Anko stared down at him. "Hiya." She happily called, waving to him befoe Naruto jumped back and on to the desk he had hidden behind just a second ago before jumping back even further, Anko in hot pursuit as she pulled a kunai out.

"Kurenai sensei." Hinata watched as the purple haired woman tried to slash Naruto as he dodged and evaded as best as he could.

"Yes, Hinata?" Kurenai winced as Naruto switched directions on Anko and jumped at her, biting into her arm before being thrown across the room.

"Is Naruto-kun going to be ok?" She winced as Naruto bounced off the wall bodily, landing ungainly on his feet before rolling out of the way of a sudden kunai sticking in the wall where his head would have been.

Kurenai sighed as she watched Anko. "If Anko wanted to hurt Naruto, I doubt he'd be able to avoid her. She is a Tokubetsu Jounin after all." When Naruto and Anko both crashed into the teacher's desk knocking everything on it off into the floor, she decided to step in. "Alright! You've destroyed enough property!"

Anko and Naruto both came to a stop, freezing in place as Naruto was lunging forward to nearly bite Anko's thigh while Anko was aiming a kunai into the back of Naruto.

Kurenai sighed as she looked disapprovingly at the brown haired woman. "Honestly, Anko. Did you have to fight a Genin?"

Standing up straight and rubbing her hair with the hand that still held the kunai, she smiled contritely. "Well, I wanted to look out for my best friend and make sure her boyfriend could take care of himself."

_"B-boyfriend?"_ Hinata thought to herself with a shocked look on her face as she stared at the smiling Jounin.

Kurenai placed her hands on her hips as she turned her stare up a notch. "I told you that he is not my boyfriend, Anko."

Anko slipped her kunai somewhere on herself and walked back over to Kurenai before sitting down on the table across the isle way from Hinata. "What can I say? I want to see the boy that makes you smile so much."

Naruto walked back, favoring his left leg some as he stood next to Kurenai while eyeing Anko with a distrustful gaze.

"Naruto," Kurenai spoke with a small smile as she looked down at him, "I want you to meet my best friend, Mitarashi Anko." Naruto looked between Kurenai and Anko with an unreadable look while the pineapple haired woman smirked at him. "Anko this is Uzumaki Naruto and…?" Kurenai stopped as she turned around, realizing that Hinata had at some point passed out and was now lying on the floor.

Naruto looked past her at the passed out face of Hinata, Anko looking overtop of him. "Is she broken?" Anko asked, watching as Kurenai tilted the pale girl up slightly and checked her pulse.

"Just unconscious." Kurenai spoke as she patted Hinata's cheeks. "Wake up, Hinata. You can't sleep here."

Hinata moaned slightly before her pale eyes fluttered open, looking around confused. "Kruenai sensei?" she spoke softly before blushing furiously and leaping out of Kurenai's arms to stand up and bow to them. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

Kurenai stood back up, giving her a calming smile. "It's alright, Hinata, though I will have to work with you on not passing out at inopportune times." Hinata blushed a little brighter and looked embarrassedly down at the floor, fiddling with her fingers.

"She's just so cute!" Anko appeared behind Hinata, who gasped as she realized the trench coat wearing woman had appeared behind her and was stroking her cheek with a finger. "I could just eat her up." Her eyes hardened as she turned Hinata's face to look at her own.

With a nearly silent eep, Hinata passed out for a second time, falling to the floor.

Kurenai looked at Anko who was grinning insanely at the passed out Hinata. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

Anko grinned at a frowning Kurenai. "You can tell?"

Sighing to herself, Kurenai looked over at her blonde friend. "And here I thought I could actually take you some place without embarrassing me." Naruto looked up into Kurenai's face as he put something into his mouth that looked vaguely familiar to Kurenai. "What's that you have for lunch, Naruto?"

Anko's smile stayed on her face until she noticed the stick in Naruto's hand. She pulled her coat open and searched on an inside pocket, opening it and even going so far as to look into the pocket. Looking at the blonde boy as he finished off whatever was on the stick, she whined out loud, "My dango." Anko's face scrunched up and she sniffled pitifully.

Naruto stared at her with his unreadable look on his face before offering Anko the stick in his mouth, cleaned from all food.

Anko took the stick in hand, looking at it with sad puppy dog eyes as she lamented the loss of her dango before she locked eyes with him and reached for her kunai up her sleeve. Naruto seeing the murderous look along with feeling the killer intent focused on him did the only thing he could, he turned and ran for the window overlooking the front of the academy, jumping out the window with Anko in hot pursuit.

Kurenai blinked as she stared at the open window, listening as Anko shouted incoherently outside the building as she chased Naruto.

* * *

Today was going to be the day, she had everything prepared the way she wanted it. She had washed her hair in that really expensive shampoo that nearly guaranteed to capture the heart of the man she wanted. She had packed a bento from the food her mother had made, only now wishing she had spent more time in the kitchen and being able to make something with her own hands. She even wore her very best red dress with the white circle in between her shoulder blades, the one with the slit up the sides to her thighs, though she wasn't so indecent that she wouldn't wear the black shorts underneath to maintain her modesty. 

She was as dressed up as she could be with all the right weapons she could use as she walked toward the target that she wanted to give her heart to, Uchiha Sasuke. The brooding Uchiha sat underneath a tree eating an apple slowly, his bright white shorts and dark blue baggy shirt working at odds with each other as he stared off at nothing. Just looking at him made her heart beat faster and her head swoon as she imagined her and him together at last, looking into each others eyes and saying the sweet nothings that she longed to hear out of him.

The breeze blew through her long pink hair that nearly reached down to the small of her back as her dream placed her in a grassy meadow with flowers everywhere, the sounds of combat off in the distance barely registering as they leaned in closer to each other and…?

Sakura felt something barrel into her only to adjust around her and help her keep her balance all at once before rushing off, a second and heavier something slamming into her from behind with a foul curse and a "Stop daydreaming and get out of the way!" shouted at her as she lay face down in the ruined bento she had been holding. Twitching briefly as her brain reset its logic circuit, she lifted her face to look at the back of a purple haired woman dressed in a brown trench coat seemingly slinging snakes from her sleeves at a blonde haired, orange blur.

"Hold still so I can kill you!" The woman shouted as she retracted the snakes back into her sleeves, reaching into her coat and throwing stick like shapes at Naruto, who jumped out of the way before making a cross shaped seal with his hands.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, smoke clouds bursting into existence before wafting away and revealing several Naruto's standing in one spot and staring at the angry woman.

"A Bunshin won't work on me!" The woman shouted as she lashed her arms forward, more snakes whipping out from her sleeves as the Naruto's attempted to split up, only one of them screaming out as it was wrapped in green scales and pulled toward the now smiling woman. "I've got you now, Gaki!" The Naruto caught by the woman struggled for a few seconds before popping into smoke, the snakes previously wrapped around him falling to the ground uselessly. "A solid Bunshin?" The woman muttered, Sasuke's head turning to watch as the woman retracted the snakes once again before running off after another Naruto.

Once she had disappeared in hot pursuit of a fleeing Naruto, another Naruto stuck his head up from the ground and sniffed the air, shaking the dirt off of himself before looking around carefully. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Naruto as he gave the area one last look and ran off to hide. Getting up from the tree, Sasuke walked off, going to watch as the woman made Naruto do more Jutsu that he might be able to use himself.

Sakura continued to lay flat on her face in the dirt, long after everyone else had left. "What the heck just happened?" She muttered to herself, food still clinging to her face.

* * *

Nearly three hours later, Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones in the class room left. A black haired Jounin by the name of Yuuhi Kurenai had already been there when they had returned and had gathered her team up mentioning something about "Lazy smoking monkey" and "Embarrassing friends" before leaving with her team. 

The next person to arrive was Asuma Sarutobi, and he looked ape like in the face if nothing else. He had a short, but spiky looking beard and a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and his laid back way he spoke and stood nearly bellowed laid back. He gathered his teammates up and eyed them before motioning with his hand for them to follow him out. Shikamaru and Chouji fell in step behind their instructor, but Ino sighed and looked over her shoulder at Sasuke, and slightly worried at the seat that Naruto would sit at, only now filled with Sakura who was trying to get Sasuke to say something to her. Shaking her head, she walked out of the room and off with her instructor.

Sakura and Sasuke watched as the rest of the students left with their instructors, wondering when their own instructor would be arriving. Sasuke glanced over at Naruto's seat that held Sakura, briefly wondering if the blonde dead last had managed to get away from the irate woman from lunch, only to snort and dismiss the thought. Dead last's weren't supposed to get away from trained ninjas, he was most likely caught, skinned, and sent to the hospital for dissection.

Just as the clock reached three, the door to the room opened up and both Sakura and Sasuke turned their head to look at the man who stood in the doorway. The silver hair that tapered off into the air at a point that hung to one side, Hitai-ate that covered his left eye and face mask that obscured his lips and nose, loose Jounin vest that was unzipped and gave him a lazy look, everything screamed procrastinator to both of them.

"Are you Team 7?" The man asked them, though it was obvious that they were the only ones in the room. He glanced around the room, his exposed eye narrowing. "You seem to be a man short."

Three shuriken and several kunai came whipping into the room, slapping into the door mere inches from the hand of the silver haired man. Everyone turned their gaze to the open window as a blonde haired boy jumped inside, barely avoiding two kunai that hit the windowsill and ripped away some of the sleeve to his orange jumpsuit. The boy sprung away from the window as a purple haired woman leapt through the window next to the one Naruto had entered, breaking the glass as she tried to catch Naruto off guard.

"I've got you now, little boy." Anko grinned sadistically as she reached into her weapon satchel only for her face to get confused. She pulled her satchel open and peered into it, only finding some lint balls and the dango stick that Naruto had eaten. "Damn," she muttered out loud, "I just refilled those weapons too."

She looked down at Naruto who was just starting to get back to his feet, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Giving his the same smile she just had on, she said, "Y'know, it takes someone pretty special to avoid getting stabbed by me." She walked up to him, her hands exposed as Naruto eyed her as she approached. "I guess Nai-chan did see something special in you after all." She patted his shoulder a little rougher than necessary. "You have my permission to date her."

Naruto stared blankly at the woman in front of him, tilting his head to one side. "Date?"

"Yep." Anko said. "Nai-chan is a good friend of mine. I don't let any sleaze ball hang around her unless they prove themselves by me. Asuma's still trying to see her, even though I don't approve of that monkey."

Clearing his throat from the doorway, both Naruto and Anko turned around to see who was trying to get their attention. "Hiya, Kakashi." Anko waved her hand as far above her head as she could, as if she was saying hello from a distance and didn't want to be missed.

"Anko, is that one of the members of Team 7?" Kakashi pointed at Naruto, his voice barely holding any concern in it.

Anko gave Kakshi the same blank look that Naruto had given her, eyes squinted and confused. She looked down at Naruto who looked back up into her face with the same look before they both looked at Kakashi. "I don't know, why are you asking me?"

Sweat drops formed on Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi's heads.

Running the hand that had been holding the door open through his hair, he sighed greatly. "Anyways, I need you three to meet me on the roof. I'd appreciate it if you'd hurry up as one of you has to go see the Hokage when we're done."

Smiling down at the blonde boy in front of her as Kakashi disappeared into a puff of smoke after making a hand sign, Anko spoke as Sasuke and Sakura got up and headed for the door. "You be good now, Gaki. If you treat Nai-chan badly, I'm going to make your life hell. Treat me to some dango sometime!" She turned and jumped out the window, ignoring her weapons as she left.

Naruto remained where he was standing, staring out the window where Mitrashi Anko had just exited. Tilting his head to one side, he could only think to himself, _"What's a date?"

* * *

_

Sitting down under a parasol on the roof of the school, the three previous students stared at the silver haired man as he leaned against the railing, reading an orange book. "So you guys are Team 7." Kakashi muttered as he peered at them over his book. "Just from looking at you, the only thing that comes to mind is…" He paused as if thinking deeply at what it was they brought to mind. He finished speaking by saying, "I don't like you."

Sasuke's shoulders hitched and he sat up straighter while Sakura got a resentful look on her face. Naruto sat on the floor in front of the seat impassively, his legs folded in front of him.

"Well, let's get to know each other." Kakashi's eyes peered at one to another before settling on Sakura. "You, pinky. You start first."

Although she was smiling outside, inside of her was shouting and gnashing her teeth. **_'Who does this jerk thing he is, calling me pinky in front of Sasuke? Only Sasuke could get away with calling me something like that!'_** "Excuse me, sensei? Shouldn't the teacher introduce himself to their students?" **_'Learn some manners, you silver haired scarecrow!'_**

Kakashi sighed as he brought his eyes up from the pages of the book he was reading. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, my likes and dislikes aren't any of your business." He tilted his head back to look up at the sky. "What I want to do in the future is confidential until I think you're old enough to understand."

_'Basically, we didn't get anything out of him except for his name.'_ Sasuke and Sakura thought at the same time.

Sakura stood up in front of Sasuke, hoping her crush would check her backside out. "I'm Haruno Sakura. My likes are…" She glanced down and behind herself at Sasuke, blushing brightly. "My dislikes are Ino-pig and anyone trying to come between true love." Sakura held a fist up in front of herself, her face held in determination. "My hopes are…" once again she glanced over her shoulder at Sasuke and this time giggled

_'Great, she's a fan girl after all.'_ Kakshi mentally spoke to himself. "You, the brooding one." Sakura sat down and Sasuke stood up.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I have few likes and a lot of dislikes, including people that try to hold me back and others who are always late." Sasuke directed that with a glare at the book in Kakashi's hand that blocked direct eyesight with him. "My hopes…I don't really have one, but I do have a desire." Sasuke's face darkened as he clenched his fists tightly. "I will get revenge on the man who killed off my entire clan, one way or another."

_'An avenger type, just as I thought.'_ Kakashi looked down at the ground at the blonde, who didn't hold any specific emotion on his face. _'What about you, Naruto? What kind of person have you turned into?'_ "You, Blondie. You're next." Naruto pointed to himself and Kakashi nodded, closing his book as he looked into Naruto's eyes.

Sasuke sat down and Naruto stood up. "Uzumaki Naruto." He spoke clearly, yet uncertainly. "I like Ramen, Kurenai sensei, Ayame-san, Ichiraku-oyaji and Ino-san." His face lit up as he spoke about his favorites before his face dropped. "I hate Kyuubi."

Both Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he was weird, while Kakashi's eye flashed panic. "I think that's enough." Naruto looked up at Kakashi as Sakura and Sasuke turned to look at Kakashi. "Now to tell you what will happen next." Making sure he had their attention, he continued. "Tomorrow, you'll meet me at training ground eleven for your final evaluation."

"Final evaluation? Sakura blurted out, coming to her feet. "But we just graduated and became Genin. Why do we need a final evaluation?"

Kakashi eyed all of them as he spoke. "Graduating just means you have the skills to become Genin, the real test begins when the Jounin accepts that you are Genin, and if you fail this, you will be sent back to the academy until you get a Jounin to accept you." Making sure they understood him, he added a bit more information for them. "You're all unlucky to get me for a Jounin. I've failed every set of Genin ever assigned to me. I doubt you three will be any different."

Sakura had a look of panic and Sasuke of determination whereas Naruto didn't show anything. "Everybody should be there at seven in the morning. Oh, and don't eat anything. You'll probably just get sick." Kakashi finished, his eye turning upward in a weird smile for the eye.

Waiting moments afterwards as everyone seemed to be waiting for something else, Kakashi opened his book up and pointed to Naruto. "You." He spoke calmly while Sakura and Sasuke looked directly at Naruto. "Hokage-sama wants a word with you now." After giving his last order, Kakashi disappered into a cloud of smoke, leaving the three to their own thoughts.

Naruto jumped off and away from the roof to the tree below, leaping from the tree to the nearest roof and began to make his way roof hopping toward the spire in the middle of the town that was the Hokage's tower. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto before walking off, hands in his pockets. Sakura worried to herself, hoping beyond hope that they would somehow pass tomorrow, especially that she would pass with her dear Sasuke-kun.

* * *

Naruto was shuttled from the front door of the tower by the ANBU guards immediately into Sandaime's office. A few dignitaries gave a scowl and audibly sniffed as the little blonde boy was rushed into the Hokage's office, but there was little they could do and Naruto didn't pay any attention to them anyways. 

Sandaime looked up from where he was finishing the last of his paperwork before accepting the first of the many dignitaries that would be coming through his door. Knowing that his secretary had orders to allow only one person through without permission, he looked up and saw Naruto escorted in by an ANBU in a cat's mask. He nodded once to the ANBU who bowed with his hand to his chest before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and leaving the room under ninja like ability.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto." Sandaime Sarutobi said from behind his desk with a smile on his face. "I heard that you graduated from the academy today. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Oyaji." Naruto remained standing where he was until Sarutobi gestured to come up and have a seat in front of his desk.

"I heard that you got Kakashi for a sensei." Sarutobi leaned back with a gentle smile on his aged face. "He'll be a good teacher for you, better than the ones you've had before." Naruto continued to give him the enigmatic stare that worried the old man so much. He wished that Naruto would be a little bit livelier like he had been when he was younger. It was unfortunate that the villagers had turned him into such a quiet and abused child.

"Oyaji." Naruto spoke, getting the old man's attention. "Do you think if I had a family, would they be proud of me?"

Sarutobi winced inside, his face retaining the gentle smile on it. Motioning for Naruto to come to him, he waited until Naruto walked around the desk that maintained the life's blood of the village. He turned his chair to Naruto and stood before wrapping his arms around the blonde child, holding him tightly in a hug as he stroked the back of his head.

"Your mom and dad are very proud of you, Naruto. I know in my heart that they are." Sarutobi wished there was more he could do for Naruto without upsetting the council, but being a Hokage didn't give him the power to save anyone, only to direct an army.

* * *

Naruto stayed curled up where he laid, the cold, wet grass of the training ground blowing in the gentle wind as the sun rose into the sky. He had gone home last night, back to the hovel of an apartment only to find that his door lock had been changed again and an eviction notice had been placed on it. 

It wasn't something that he got upset about anymore, he had been living out in the streets more often than he had been under a roof. Any place Sandaime set him up with would give him a month, maybe more, before they would find some reason for him to be forced back out onto the street again. It was safer for him to sleep in the training grounds than it was for him to sleep in an apartment anyways. Only ninja's came out to the training grounds, and only when the sun was up, whereas his room was broken into and vandalized way more often than he could deal with.

His eyes flicked open as he heard someone approaching the training ground, heading over to the three wooden logs that stood upright in the field. He lifted his head as he scented the air, unwilling to move from the bushes that concealed him until he knew who was out there. The wind that blew toward him smelled of lilacs and something acidic that burned at his nose, though faint. He crawled up onto his hands and knees before arching his back and working the kinks out before peering out from the bushes toward the training ground.

Standing against one of the wooden logs was the pink haired girl from yesterday, Haruno Sakura. She had a small hand compact out and was looking into a mirror inside the lid as she powdered her nose. The log she was leaning against was taller than her and was wide around as several people holding each other in a hug.

After a few moments of looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled before closing it and putting it into her kunai holster at her hip. She hummed to herself, waiting for a few moments before she turned her head and watched as a dark haired boy walked into the training ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura raised her hand over her head and bounced on her toes as she waved for the Uchiha boy to notice her. The same style red Chinese dress and black shorts combo she had worn yesterday flapped at her legs a little bit as she hopped up and down. Her hitai-ate was being used as a headband on the top of her head while the rest spilled down her back to between her shoulder blades.

Uchiha Sasuke walked over to the other post, the center one that was away from the one Sakura was next to. He turned around and leaned up against the training post, hands in the pockets of his white shorts while the high collar dark blue coat he wore obscured his face.

"So, Sasuke-kun." Sakura sidled up to him as she turned and leaned against the same post as him, "What do you think we'll have to do for our final evaluation?"

Sasuke looked up from where his chin had rested on his body, opening his eyes and looking out the corner at Sakura. "Like it matters. Whatever it is, I'm definitely becoming a Genin."

Sakura's inner person reared its head at those words. **_'Yeah, that's right! Nothing is going to stop my Sasuke-kun from becoming the greatest ninja ever!'_**

Naruto continued to watch them from the bushes until he was sure neither of them was watching anything in particular. Moving quickly, but silently, he headed behind them as he came out of the bushes, moving across the open field until he was nearly on top of them. Sasuke's head jerked upwards and Naruto jumped as Sasuke whipped his head around behind him.

Naruto landed near silently on top of the log as Sakura spoke. "Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

Peering around the clearing of the training grounds, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Naruto stared down over the top of the training log at both of his teammates while Sasuke continued to scrutinize the woods and bushes. Still feeling like he was being watched, he settled back against the log, only now keeping his eyes open as he peered around, looking for any signs of their sensei or an attack.

They waited for a few minutes in silence, Sakura peering at Sasuke out of the corner of her eyes while Sasuke continued to scrutinize everything around him. "Hey, Sasuke? What do you think of our third member?"

Sasuke snorted before answering. "The dobe?" He continued to look around, relaxing some. "I don't even know how he passed in the first place. He'll never pass whatever it is Kakashi has planned."

Naruto laid down and curled up on the top of the log, feeling the warmth from the sun dry him out as well as make him comfortable. Sasuke continued to peer at his surroundings, though he only turned his eyes from side to side now, waiting for the test to start at any moment. Sakura sighed as she leaned back and looked up at the sky, feeling the first hints of hunger starting to hit her.

"I hope Kakashi sensei shows up soon." Sakura spoke softly.

* * *

Three hours had past and they were beginning to think that they had been forgotten by the Jounin, Hatake Kakashi. Sakura was sitting at the base of the log while Sasuke remained ever vigilant, though he was becoming even testier than he had been before. The constant vigilance that he had put up had worked to fray his nerves to the breaking point, and having only the pink haired fan girl obsessing over him every few minutes or complaining about how hungry she was getting was only pissing him off further. Naruto continued to sleep blissfully ignorant of his surroundings, not sensing the slightest bit of hostility toward him or scenting a change in his surroundings. 

Naruto's nose twitched and his eyes snapped open as he lifted his head from his curled position. He peered across the field as the very masked Jounin that had introduced themselves yesterday sauntered in, his nose buried in a very conspicuous orange book.

Sasuke stood up and away from his log and took a step or two away from it so that he could evade from whatever the devious Jounin had planned while Sakura seemed to realize that Sasuke had moved and stood up, pointing her finger at the Jounin and shrieking at the top of her lungs, "You're Late!"

Lifting his eyes from the book only to acknowledge that he had heard the pink haired banshee, he returned his eyes back to the pages within. "Sorry, I got lost somewhere on the path of life." He speaks cryptically to them, his voice uncaring whether they believe him or not.

This pissed off Sakura even more as she stomped her foot, pointing her finger as if she was flinging it at him. "Liar!" **_'At least come up with something a little more believable you stupid, lazy, silver haired idiot! Shannaro!'_**

"Can we hurry up and take this stupid test already?" Sasuke testily spat. "I have training I need to do."

Naruto jumped down from the top of the log and landed behind Sasuke and Sakura, making Sakura jump in fright, whirling in the air to face him, and Sasuke to pull a kunai out of his leg holster, gripping it with the blade pointed back behind him as he looked over his shoulder with one eye at whoever had managed to sneak up on him.

Sakura flung her finger at Naruto, who bent his knees slightly and eyed Sasuke who still held on to the kunai in his fist. "Where the hell have you been?" She shouted at Naruto, her voice just as high and demanding as when she was shouting at Kakashi.

Kakashi would have allowed this to continue, but he had better things to do than listening to the girl explode on the blonde unnecessarily. "Anyways, let's get to the test." He put his book away in the satchel hanging from his left hip. Pulling out two bells no bigger than the tip of his pinky finger, he held them out in front of the team. "The test is for one of you to get a bell from me by the time a clock I have set for noon rings. If you can't take a bell from me, you fail and are sent back to the academy for more training. Those who are holding the bell, pass."

Sasuke turned his eyes back toward Kakashi, determination set on his face while Sakura looked worried, biting her lower lip. Naruto tilted his head slightly as if he didn't understand what he was being told.

"But Sensei, there's only two bells." Sakura pointed out the obvious as she glanced worriedly over at Sasuke.

"Then I guess only two of you are passing." Kakashi eye smiled as he reached down to his waist and tied the two bells to his kunai holster. Before anyone could move, Kakashi disappeared from in front of them and grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm from behind him, holding the kunai in place. "It's not polite to move before I'm ready." Sasuke glared up at Kakashi over his shoulder with one eye.

Walking away from Sasuke without a care in the world, Kakashi reached inside of his vest and pulled out an old styled clock and wound the back of it before placing it down before a stone monument at the edge of the training ground. He clicked the button on the top of it, setting the seconds hand to start spinning on the face of the clock.

Turning around and standing back upright, Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "You have two hours. Begin!"

Sakura and Sasuke leapt off in a flash, disappearing into the foliage around the training ground. Naruto remained standing where he was, eyeing Kakashi while Kakashi stared impassively back at him.

_'I figured that Sasuke and Sakura would hide in the woods nearby from their profile, but I expected something other than this out of you, Naruto.'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he continued to stare at the blonde ninja.

Naruto stared at Kakashi for a bit longer before going back over to the log and jumping back to the top of it, curling up on the log and laying his head on his arms.

"Aren't you even going to try, Naruto?" Kakashi asked from where he stood, wanting to know what the blonde child was thinking. Getting no response from him, he sighed greatly before reaching into his satchel and pulling out the orange book he had been reading earlier.

Just from being with them for a short time, he could tell that they had already failed.

* * *

Sakura was searching around for Sasuke. She was going to make sure that her Sasuke-kun passed with her, no matter what. But first, she had to find him. 

"Stupid silver haired Jounin's and their lack of responsibilities." Sakura muttered under her breath as she tried to sneak through the bushes as best as she could, making the smallest noise possible as she moved. "Has he ever heard of clocks? What the hell was the point of making us come out here so early if he wasn't going to show up for three hours?"

She looked around her once again, wondering what had happened to her love interest and hoping she would find him soon before she heard something behind her. Turning around, she was suddenly surrounded by a wave of tree leaves that made her sleepy, a blurry image of someone standing in front of her with a hand sign the last thing she saw before she passed out.

She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but she sat up abruptly and looked around. She tried to remember what had happened to her before she had blanked out, but whatever it had been felt fuzzy in her head and she couldn't quite think on it. Getting back up to her feet she took a few more hesitant steps before realizing that Kakashi may have somehow snuck up on her and done something to her.

A scream of pain broke her out of her thought and made her run for the clearing where their sensei had been standing earlier. _'That voice was Sasuke's. I hope he's alright.'_

Breaking out into the clearing edge, no sign of Kakashi or Sasuke was seen. Only now realizing that what she heard may have been a trick instead of an actual teammate, she was about to return back into the foliage and find a new hiding place until she heard a gasp behind her.

"Sasuke…" she began to show in happiness only to freeze as she saw something horrifying.

Sasuke was slumped to the ground, his body littered with kunai and shuriken, blood leaking from his wounds in trails that seeped from them to the ground. One arm was raised up toward Sakura, trying to reach her as something red dripped from his down turned face.

"Sakura…" Sasuke gasped as he turned his scarred face up to her. "Help me…"

* * *

A female scream echoed across the training ground, making Kakashi look up from his book in the direction of the scream. "Hmmm, maybe I went a little overboard." Kakashi muttered to himself before putting his nose back in his book. 

Naruto's head came up from where he lay. He glanced over at Kakashi who had moved to under a tree before jumping down from where he lay, eyeing the Jounin who had yet to take his eyes out of his book. Making a cross shaped seal, a cloud of smoke enveloped Naruto until it dissipated on its own, revealing a second Naruto. Both Naruto looked to each other and nodded before leaping off into the foliage, disappearing from the area.

"So, you've finally decided to try, have you?" Kakashi peered from the top of his book after the two.

* * *

Sasuke had been watching the blonde and the silver haired Jounin from his hiding place for some time. He needed an opening to take the Jounin by surprise and was hoping for his chance when Sakura had screamed and given her position away, if she hadn't already been caught in a trap. Only when Naruto had run off after creating a second version of himself through a handseal he had never seen before did Kakashi seem to focus somewhere else than around himself. 

Taking this as his sign to attack, Sasuke threw several kunai with wires attached to them, guiding them toward Kakashi's blind side. He watched as Kakashi never noticed the kunai coming from near the back of the tree before they punched into his left side, the man falling as Sasuke smirked in triumph.

The smirk quickly fled from his face when the body in mid fall poofed, leaving behind a log that had been perforated where the ribs should have been.

"Kawarimi!" Sasuke berated himself as he moved, his position given away.

"Well, that was close." Kakashi muttered as he crouched on the limb above the log that had been him just a moment ago. "My book was almost damaged.

* * *

Sakura groaned as she slowly came back to reality. What had she been doing just a second ago? She opened her eyes and looked groggily up at the blonde haired face face Naruto, who was leaning down overtop of her, shaking her shoulder. 

"Sakura-san, you need to wake up." Naruto whispered down to her as he shook her shoulder.

"What…?" She sat up slowly, looking around.

"Kakashi sensei caught you in a trap." Naruto kept his voice down, staying crouched to the recovering girl.

Sakura looked at him blankly for a moment before realization came to her eyes. "Sasuke!" She shouted as she jumped to her feet. She began to run off through the underbrush recklessly, looking for her love.

Naruto stood up, watching as the pink haired girl crashed her way through the wilderness, her emotions overriding her common sense. Shaking his head, Naruto jumped up into a tree and leapt away, headed back to the training ground.

* * *

Time was running out and he needed one of those bells to graduate. Sasuke stood openly out in the middle of the training ground, waiting for Kakashi to come out to him. Kakashi jumped from his perch and dropped down in front of the aspiring Genin, his nose buried in the book while the upper parts of his cheeks were a little redder than usual. A giggle escaped his lips, making Sasuke's eyebrow twitch in irritation. 

"You're gonna want to put that book away, Sensei." Sasuke played with a kunai in his hand as he stared heatedly at Kakashi.

"I'm not too worried." Kakashi taunted, he turned a page before giggling again. "Even if you had your two friends helping you out, you still won't be able to beat me."

As if that were a summons, the two Naruto that had leapt off into the woods jumped out from them, landing to Kakashi's right and left. Kakashi looked up to take note of them, his eye closing slightly as he gave them a serious look before turning back to his book.

"Just stay out of the way, Dobe. You're going to get hurt otherwise." Sasuke glanced at them briefly, wondering what the blonde was thinking trying to use a simple Bunshin in a fight, but disregarded him soon afterwards. He wasn't going to be of any help anyways, and he didn't need any to win this fight.

The Narutos jumped toward Kakashi, both coming at him from two sides at once. Kakashi waited until they were nearly on top of him before jumping over the lower Naruto and kicking the other one which popped into a cloud of smoke on contact. Kakashi briefly glanced at the dissipating smoke, wondering if that had been a Kage Bunshin since he had actually felt the impact on his kick.

Sasuke took advantage of Kakashi's straying eyes once again, flinging the kunai toward the landing Jounin. Kakashi dodged to his left, the kunai never coming close to him. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want these bells, Sasuke."

The sound of something snapping behind him made Kakashi's eye widen before dodging the other way toward a rushing Sasuke, several shurikens hitting the tree he had previously been in front of. Sasuke threw a punch toward the Jounin's head only to have Kakashi catch the fist coming at his face. Improvising on his failed attempt, he twists forward and to the side, bringing his leg up to nearly catch Kakashi in the same place, forcing the Jounin to raise the arm he held his book in to block the kick. With both of Kakashi's arms involved with stopping Sasuke, he reached from his inverted position for the dangling bells in front of him.

Kakashi barely seeing the hand move for the bells releases the boy and jumps backwards from him, making room. Giving Sasuke a considering look, he slid his book away into his satchel. Sasuke got back to his feet where he fell after being released from Kakashi's grip before rapidly blurring through several handseals that ended in tiger.

_'A fire Jutsu! When did he learn that?'_ Kakashi thought just as Sasuke broke the sign and brought up his hand before his mouth, making an O with his first two fingers and his thumb.

**"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"** Sasuke exhaled, flames shooting from in between his fingers toward Kakashi.

Kakashi made to jump out of the way as he felt something wrap around his waist. He looked down at Naruto with shock on his face before he looked up as the fireball flowed over both of them.

Sakura came out of the woods as the flames washed over Kakashi and Naruto, her voice catching in her throat as their forms inside of the fireball disappeared into nothing. Sasuke finished blowing, cutting the chakra between his fingers as his breath ran out, a burned circle still smoldering where the fireball had expanded. He looked around himself, expecting for a new attack to come from anywhere. Kakashi wouldn't be killed by a simple fireball jutsu.

"Sasuke, you just…" Sakura spoke hesitantly toward the boy she would follow everywhere.

_'If he's not coming from the sides or from behind, then where could he be?'_ Sasuke thought to himself, blocking out Sakura's voice as he concentrated on sensing Kakashi's chakra.

"Below!" Kakashi's voice shouted as his gloved hand reached upwards from the dirt and grabbed hold of Sasuke's ankle.

Sasuke had only a second to realize he had been caught before he was pulled down up to his neck into the ground. Kakashi stood overtop of him with a condescending stare, a kunai held in his hand. "**Doton: Shinjuu Zanshuu no Jutsu!**" Sasuke glared hotly up at him, unable to move. "You attacked your opponent without making sure your teammate was out of the range of the attack. You deliberately ordered your teammate to stay out of a fight that was impossible for you to win. When your teammate attacked, you did nothing to attempt to help him to bring down a superior enemy."

Kakashi continued to glare down at Sasuke who wriggled his head back and forth, trying to worm his way free. Tossing the kunai backwards, the weapon flew true and slammed into the clock face sitting in front of the monument, the kunai stopping the hands of the clock five minutes before the time ran out.

"I've seen enough." Kakashi hissed in disgust. Turning to the pink haired girl, he pointed at her. "You fell for the most basic of Genjutsu, and when your teammate came to save you, you abandoned him to chase after your other teammate." Turning to look at Sasuke who was shooting screaming death from his eyes at Kakashi, the silver haired Jounin continued. "You endangered your team, the mission, and your own life because you refused to bend your neck due to your pride and need for revenge. As far as I'm concerned, Team 7 officially fails."

Sakura collapsed to the ground, still looking in disbelief at her hopes of being a ninja with her Sasuke-kun going up in smoke. Sasuke continued to struggle as hard as he could, trying to get free to finish what he started. He shouted in frustration as he was still unable to move. Kakashi headed back over to the scorched spot of earth where the fireball jutsu had gone off. Digging down into the dirt a little bit, Kakashi pulled Naruto up out of the ground, his coat scorched and his skin cracked and oozing from third degree burns.

Naruto stood slowly, wobbling in spot before getting aid from Kakashi, the silver haired man's hand going to his shoulder to steady him. "The test is over, Naruto. You don't need the bells anymore."

Naruto looked up at the man before lifting a badly burned hand and opened his fingers slowly. The two small bells that had been attached to the Jounin's hip fell into Kakashi's own hand before he put them away into his kunai pouch.

"Let's go, Naruto. I think Hana should take a look at you." Kakashi looked back at the pink haired girl, who still wasn't moving from where she sat and the black haired boy who was cursing openly at his own plight. "And to think I had hopes for them." Kakashi muttered to himself before flash jumping away with Naruto.

* * *

Inuzuka Hana, eldest child of the Inuzuka clan and veterinarian of Konoha was bored. Correction, she wasn't just bored, she was hungry too. Being one of the best veterinarian clinics didn't exactly mean it was a busy clinic, it just meant that when she did see someone's pets, she made sure they didn't have to come back any time soon. Not exactly good for business, but she wouldn't allow anyone's pets to fall sick when she could do something about it. 

The Haimaru Sankyodai, or the grey triplets, lay in different spots in the clinic. Sanae sat near the doorway, her grey coat rising and falling with her breathing as she slept peacefully. Kanae was sitting in one of the chairs for people to wait in, looking out the window at the street beyond, her ears laid back across her head as her tail wagged slowly. Mikoto sat next to her, looking up at her mistress and partner.

Looking down at her ever present shadow, Hana spoke to Mikoto. "Is there such a thing as doing too good of a job?"

Kanae's ears perked up and she stood in the chair as she began to whine. Sanae's ears had also perked up and she was scenting at the door that led out into the street before softly growling.

Turning her head and letting the brown ponytail flip over her shoulder, Hana narrowed her already narrow eyes at the door. She smelled what her girls were beginning to pick up on. Nothing covered up the smell of cooked flesh, although the fresh dirt that wafted to her nose was doing a pretty good job at it.

The door to the street opened and Sanae was on her feet almost immediately when Kakashi helped a wounded Naruto walk through the door. She sidled up underneath Naruto's other arm and felt his hand pet her fur before walking further into the vet.

"Sorry to trouble you, Hana." Kakashi said with an eye smile and a wave of his hand as he eased Naruto into a chair next to Kanae, who had hopped down from where she was sitting and whined pitifully in front of Naruto, turning circles in front of him.

"I'm not a hospital, Kakashi." Hana sighed from where she stood, Mikoto put her front paws up on the counter and looked over top of it.

Kakashi eyed Hana. Standing nearly five foot eight, her brown hair that was ponytailed down her back and one bang over each eye, she looked like a professional to him. The white med coat she wore and the tan pants were baggy on her, but then again, most non-descript clothing like that was baggy on anyone. The red fangs on each cheek signified her as Inuzuka if nothing else did.

"You know as well as I do that if I took him to a hospital, he'd be even worse off than if he is here." Kakashi's eye and posture seemed to convey remorse, something his face was unable to do behind his mask.

Hana frowned. Naruto had become a regular sight at her clinic, which didn't do much for her business. Still, the last time he had been sent to the hospital, they really had tried to kill him when he should have been healing. It pissed her off to no end that people would look at the blonde haired pup of a boy as some stray instead of someone who needed protecting.

"Sanae, Kanae, bring Naruto." Hana turned from around the counter and walked down the hall to the medical rooms she had.

Sanae leaned forward a little to grab hold of Naruto's sleeve and pulled at him. Kanae whined again as Naruto's dazed eyes looked up at the two dogs the size of wolves in front of him. Getting to his feet slowly, Naruto headed back toward the hall Hana had disappeared down. Kakashi made to help the boy out only to get a warning growl from all three dogs when his hand got too close.

"I've warned you before not to touch him when he's here, Kakashi." Hana's voice called from the hallway, Mikoto coming from around the counter as Sanae and Kanae herded Naruto between them. Mikoto gaze Kakashi a cool stare until Naruto and the other girls had disappeared into a room before following after them.

Kakashi stopped in the doorway when the three dogs growled at him again. Sighing at his plight, he leaned against the doorframe and watched as Hana carefully took Naruto's dirt encrusted coat off and lifted his even grimier shirt from him. She didn't comment on the lack of cleanliness that was Naruto, she knew from seeing where he lived that he was given the worst run down room a place had and told to live with it.

"What happened to him?" She took off the rubber gloves she was wearing and threw them away before pulling out a second set and putting them on.

"During the final test, one of his teammates let loose with a great fireball jutsu and nearly fried both of us." Kakashi said from where he stood. Kanae hopped up from where she stood and laid down on the table, laying her head in Naruto's lap.

She pulled a tube of ointment out from a drawer across the room from where Kakashi stood and was applying a cream to her left hand before she capped the tube off and put it away. Rubbing the cream into her hand, she applied the cream carefully to his arm and shoulder where he had caught the worst of it.

"This will make the itching go away and should cool the burn down, but you need a bath, Naruto." Hana admonished the blonde boy.

"I'll take him back to his apartment as soon as you finish." Kakashi spoke, earning three snorts from all the dogs in the room, who were looking at him.

"I think I'll take him with me to the Inuzuka compound for tonight." Hana spoke calmly, focused on her job. "Now that he's here, you actually think my girls are going to let anyone come near him?"

Kakashi eyed the dogs before eyeing the owner. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Kakashi said from the doorway.

"You were doing your duty, which is more than I can say for this town." Hana bit off her comment with a disgusted sound in her throat. "To treat a person like this, honestly…"

"I'll leave him in your care, then." Kakashi said as he stood upright. "I have to go make my report to Hokage-sama."

Hana made a motion with her hand over her shoulder, dismissing Kakashi. She heard the leaf swirl that indicated a Shunshin before silence filled her establishment.

* * *

Sandaime Sarutobi sat in conference with most of the heads of family, the ninja council, and the civilian council that had been created after the first council had been killed off. Many from the original council had not been there when the Kyuubi's power had poured from the incomplete seal, so many of the civilian council hated Naruto with a passion. 

Asuma Sarutobi, son of Sandaime, stepped forward to the podium that was situated in the middle of the half circle. "I, Asuma Sarutobi, report that all of my members of Team 10 passed my test. I certify that they are competent enough to become Genin."

Sandaime nodded his head, noting it on a file in front of himself.

The raven haired Yuuhi Kurenai stepped up in to the spot Asuma vacated. "I, Yuuhi Kurenai, report that all members of Team 8 passed my test. I certify that they are competent enough to become Genin."

Just as she finished her report, Kakashi Shunshined into the council room.

"Just in time for your report, Kakashi." One of the elders of the civilian council spoke, standing up in his seat.

"Danzou, if you would allow him to make his report." Sandaime commented from his seat at the front of the council. The old man named Danzou took his seat.

Kakashi nodded to Kurenai before taking her place. "I, Hatake Kakashi, submit my report for review." The council muttered softly at this unusual direction from Kakashi. Normally, he got straight to the point, not sidestepped or explained himself. "I gave Team 7 the bell test, hoping that the team would understand the meaning of teamwork not in the first part of the test, but in the second part of it. During the first part of the test, the kunoichi, Haruno Sakura, failed to see through the simplest Genjutsu I could create, and subsequently ignored her teammate afterwards when roused from her unconscious state."

Haruno Sayuri shifted in her seat amongst the other civilian council members, a few eyeing her.

"Near the last thirty minutes of the two hour time limit I established, Uchiha Sasuke attempted to confront me in one on one combat. During this time, his teammate, Uzumaki Naruto using a Kage Bunshin attempted to assist him in bringing me down." Kakashi stopped as he was interrupted by another member on the council.

"So even when the demon child tried to interfere, Uchiha Sasuke was able to pass even with the odds against him." An aging woman said from her seat, pride on her face. "As expected from the survivor of the Uchiha Massacre."

"On the contrary," Kakashi spoke calmly, though he wanted to spit, "He waited until I had disposed of the Kage Bunshin before engaging me. He never checked to see if his teammate was clear before using a high powered jutsu to attack with, and nearly killed his partner off in a failed attempt to pass."

"Please finish your report, Kakashi, so that this council may support your decision to pass your team." A third elder from the civilian council side commented in an annoyed voice, his gray hair and beard making him look to be older than what he was. The glasses on his face looked to be as ancient as he was.

Kakashi shot the assembled civilian council a loathing look. "I, Hatake Kakashi, hearby certify that Team 7 does not meet the standards of Genin."

The civilian council jumped to their feet and shouted angrily their outrage. Kakashi didn't even bat an eyelash and considered whether he would be allowed with letting his killer intent slip out of control just this one time.

Sandaime Sarutobi made a calming motion with his hands to stifle the civilian council who took several minutes to vent their displeasure at the silver haired Jounin. Once they had sat down, Sarutobi turned to Kakashi. "Did any of the members of Team 7 manage to get any of the bells from you at all?"

Kakashi blinked at Sarutobi for a moment. "Yes, Hokage-sama. But I don't…"

Sarutobi raised his hand and silenced Kakashi. "Did any one member of Team 7 show any signs of teamwork, which was the basis of the bell test?"

Kakashi was getting a sinking suspicion. "Only Uzumaki Naruto attempted to help his teammates when they were in trouble." Kakashi answered, even though he received dark mutters from the council and one person spitting to their side.

Sarutobi nodded his head. "Although the test did not get all of the team members of Team 7 to learn the lesson of the bell test, one member is better than none." Standing from his seat, Sandaime spoke with a resounding voice. "Team 7 will be allowed to graduate and officially certified as a Genin team." Many on the council voice their agreement, though only because it would allow the Uchiha to become a certified ninja. "However," Sarutobi continued, "Because all of them did not learn the lesson of the bell test, I am making this team learn under every and all Jounin I deem necessary until I believe that they have earned the right to their rank and title."

Many of the heads of the major households nodded their approval at this. It wouldn't do to have a reckless Genin team running around, doing more harm to themselves and Konoha's name than to their enemies. They needed to be refined even more, and only other ninja were going to be able to do that.

"If no one objects?" Sarutobi turned to look at the council members present and waited a few moments for any disagreements before nodding. "Then this council meeting is over. I will attend to the scheduling of Team 7's training immediately and shall not be disturbed until I am finished."

Turning on his heel, Sandaime headed for the council room doors, stopping just briefly before Kakashi. "Come with me, Kakashi. We need to discuss your team in detail."

* * *

**I think that's as good a place as any to leave the chapter off at, don't you?**

**As a note, I could not find the correct wording for the Shinjuu Zanshuu technique, and did not have access to the anime, which I should have had. Because of this, I put a poor imitation of the skill in its place, but thanks to ArmorOfGeddon, that problem is resolved. Also noted, I really screwed up the prologue, Shikigami is not the God of Death, it's Shinigami. This problem has also been taken care of thanks to Pengwins.**

**Note here that I am open to all suggestions and will be writing a note to myself in what will be happening for all the characters. I will try to do my best, but as I noted before, I have not watched the movies or anything beyond the valley of the end. PM all suggestions, I will accomodate everything that I can.**


	4. Are you proud, Dad?

**Welcome, once again, to the next installment of Demonic Maelstrom, I am your host, Grizzlybiscuit! For those of you wondering exactly where I am taking the relationships in this story, right now, there will be none. I am starting the story from the beginnning and keeping track of what people are looking for. I'm not going to please everybody, so hate me now and let's move on with our lives, ok?**

**Second, I am apparently decent with writing dark drama, by this I mean sections that are dark and gruesome to read about (real life) and then the cuddly warm feelings afterwards. There will be no suicides, least, none from Naruto. He's the hero and it would make no sense to kill off the hero.**

**Lastly, the Disclaimer: Here Lies Me, Lawyers weren't happy until I was dead, or sued properly for something that wasn't Mine!**

**G.B.: If you se a mistake, please let me know. You will get honorable mentions, and any stale cookies I can find to feed your persistence.

* * *

**

talking

_thinking_

**Kyuubi talking/Inner Haruno talking**

**_Kyuubi thinking/Inner Haruno thinking_**

* * *

Tsume, head of the Inuzuka clan, and one of the most respected kunoichi of the hidden leaf sat at the table with her partner, Kuromaru. Being that the Inuzuka clan is a clan that lives, sleeps, and eats with its partners, which happen to be all dogs, this would not be too out of the ordinary. That the dog in question was as big as a human standing on its hind legs and sporting a black eye patch over its left eye was a bit unusual.

"What do you think of Naruto, Kuromaru?" Tsume asked, her narrow eyes looking at the black coated dog sitting across from her at the dinner table.

Tsume was a bright woman, and was head of the Inuzuka not because she was a widow, but because she was the 'top dog'. No one messed with the woman of almost forty three years and mother of two. Her short, wild brown hair and the cold chips for eyes were fearsome, made more fearsome by the red 'fangs' on her cheeks, just like her son. Her dark ninja attire consisted of a jump suit with bandages on her ankles and right knee and the Jounin vest she was never far from.

Though talking to dogs was supposed to be therapeutic for some, the Inuzuka's tend to take it to the next stage.

"I think he smells like a fox." Kuromaru growled out in plain English, his muzzle somehow moving to allow him to speak.

"We both know why that is." Tsume waved her hand from where she sat and leaned back in the chair. "I want to know what you think of the boy."

Kuromaru inclined his head. "Why is the boy so important? He's a stray that nobody wants."

At that time, Hana's Haimaru Sankyodai came into the house, closely followed by Hana and the boy in question. "Hi, mom. Naruto's going to be staying here with me for the night. There was an accident during his Genin test." What was left of Naruto's orange jacket was dirty and frayed and looked to still be smoking. The shirt that should have been on underneath it was missing.

Both Kuromaru and Tsume watched as the party of three gray dogs and two people moved past them and headed down the hallway to the bedrooms. Tsume turned back to Kuromaru with a blank face and said, "Are you sure nobody wants him?"

Kuromaru growled in his throat before snorting. "You know what they say about Inuzuka's and strays. She's probably doing it because no one else in their right mind would."

Coming back down the hallway, Hana walked up to the table. "Naruto's going to be staying in my room tonight. Do you think Kiba would mind if I gave Naruto something to wear until I can wash his clothes?"

Kuromaru blinked at Hana while Tsume answered. "You've already made your mind up about that, so why bother asking me?"

Hana turned and walked down the hallway as she answered. "I wanted someone to back me up that I at least asked for permission before Kiba gets his butt handed to him by Mikoto."

Tsume held her cheek in her hand in a lazy fashion while Kuromaru watched the retreating Hana. Waiting until she disappeared into Kiba's room, Kuromaru turned around to look at Tsume.

"I don't think he'd be a good mate for her." The black dog spoke firmly, his eye focused hard on his master.

"That a fact?" Tsume asked, her voice the very model of unconcerned.

Kuromaru narrowed his eye. "Do you have any other reason to think otherwise?"

Tsume sat up and folded her hands in front of her as she took on a considering look. "You and I know from the times he's been brought home with Hana that the kid lives a rough life. You have to either get tough from those kinds of troubles, or get beaten down by them. Add to the fact that he's only ever killed a Jounin Kumo nin and you've got the beginnings of a great ninja who has a lot of loyalty even when he shouldn't have any for this town."

Kuromaru snorted before shaking his head. "You're not like this, Tsume. You either make a decision or you don't. Debating this long is not something you normally do."

Tsume stood up and paced. "Naruto is still young, but he makes a good mate for anyone, and I can only see him getting better." She stopped when she came back to the spot where she had sat at, turning to look at her partner. "I'm thinking of engaging him to Hana."

Kuromaru stared at her for a moment before laughing in his short way that sounded like he was hacking. "I think you're jumping the gun a bit, Tsume. He may not even live that long. He did just become a Genin."

That was true. Most every Jounin who took on a Genin team lost at least one, sometimes their entire team. It may be very possible that Naruto would be lost during a mission, and where would Hana be then?

"I suggest you wait until he gets to be at least sixteen before thinking of marrying him into the clan. Even then, it will depend on if Hana will accept him as a mate. You should know that better than anyone else." Kuromaru finished before the front door opened and in walked Kiba with Akamaru sitting on the top of his hood.

"Hey mom." Kiba muttered as he walked into the house and took a seat at the table, Akamaru jumping from his head and landing on the table before looking at his master.

"Did you pass your Genin exam, Kiba?" Tsume asked with a hard stare, her hair slightly raising up as if it were her hackles.

"Somehow." Kiba muttered behind his arms which lay in front of him. "Even with all the skills of the Inuzuka clan, I couldn't pass it by myself."

Tsume crossed her arms underneath her bosom. "The purpose of the test is to show you that no one person ever has the skills to do everything. That's why it is essential to have teammates you can rely in."

Kiba sat back in his chair and leaned back in it precariously. "I understand that, mom. It's just that…" He slid his hood back, showing his wild brown hair underneath his hood, "The bug boy and that Hyuga girl aren't the easiest people to work with."

Tsume nodded as she sat down. "I forgot to ask you. What do you think of your teammates?" She watched him as he thought about it for a moment.

"Aburame Shino." Kiba gnawed on the name as if it were a bone. "He's a hard one to figure out, and all the bugs in him make him smell to Kami's palace. He's got pheromones rolling off of him even under that trench coat of his all the time, it messes with my tracking skills."

Tsume nodded. It was how the Aburame talked and directed their bugs sometimes, their body's being the hives for their bugs. "And what about Hyuga Hinata?"

Kiba made a disgusting noise in his throat. "That's an easy one to figure out. She's a coward in everything she does, you can smell the fear and hesitation rolling off of her." He shook his head as he inhaled through his nose. "Working with her is going…to be…" He inhaled again through his nose, just now scenting the difference in the room. "Mom, when did you let a fox into the house?"

Tsume smirked at her youngest child. "That's exactly why you need teammates, Kiba. The Aburame's would have been notified immediately as soon as they entered the house that someone else was here, and the Hyuga bloodline would allow them to see where that person was at and what they were doing."

Kiba looked at his mom in confusion. "That still doesn't explain who's here that smells of…" Kiba's eyes widen in realization of the only person who smells of foxes. "Where's Hana?" He growled, Akamaru barking at his master.

"In her room, I'd guess. Why don't you track her down yourself?" Tsume smiled wickedly, watching her son turn himself into fits over the fact that Naruto was here and what he was most likely wearing.

"Come on, Akamaru." Kiba jumped out of his chair and ran down the hall, his little white dog following behind him.

"You could have simply told him where Naruto was, y'know." Kuromaru said from where he sat as Tsume got up and grabbed a cup before pouring herself a cup of tea.

"It's more fun to listen to him struggle to be the top dog. It'll make a man out of him yet." Tsume grinned as three dogs began growling and barking from inside the house

"Kiba Inuzuka, what the hell do you think your doing?" shouted Hana from down the hallway, the sound of a massacre starting up coming from Hana's room.

* * *

Haruno Sayuri walked into the house to the sounds of silence. Having divorced her husband some time ago, she lived alone with her daughter in this small house. Fortunately, she was of the main branch of the Haruno clan, so she was still allowed a seat on the council even though the clan now consisted of only Sakura and herself. Oh, she could have moved into the clan compound, even as small as it was and still have had more than enough room, but she was not a ninja like much of her family, so she couldn't bring in enough money to keep the compound open. 

Since settling into this house with her baby child, she had taken up service at the Konoha Hospital to maintain the family grounds and to pay for the future of her only child. She had found out quickly that her husband was trying to ride the fame and fortune of the Haruno clan. Once he had found out that there was no Haruno clan left and the only two members were her and the child soon to be born, he quickly abandoned both of them.

She tried, honestly she did, to give everything she could to Sakura. Unfortunately, when you work for the hospital, you work at the mercy of need and some things had to be sacrificed. Time with her daughter had been one of those things she sacrificed, a lot of time. One of the Uchiha clan had been generous to watch over little Sakura while she went to the hospital and worked all those many hours for them to make ends meet and get the few indulgences they needed until the Uchiha massacre.

Sakura had been six at the time and had lost the only person who had meant the world to her, other than her mother. She had tried to get her mother to have them stay with her for as long as they want, but how did you explain to your daughter how that just doesn't work?

It would explain her fixation on Uchiha Sasuke. The boy was a sheer genius when it came to anything ninja. He seemed to absorb skills and fighting techniques as easily as breathing, people praised the last surviving Uchiha and said how he would be the savior of all Konoha when another war would break out.

She had seen better, but she was a bit biased when it came to that opinion. In all honesty, Uchiha Sasuke was a Prima Donna that the council allowed to have his ego stroked and inflated to gigantic proportions. She hated to watch as her daughter obsessed over the boy who had become consumed with his own obsession. The council was ready to enact the Nidaime's old law of the Clan Preservation Act for the boy, not realizing that by doing so, they could save so many other clans that would die out otherwise.

Not smelling any remnants of food that may have been burnt beyond being edible, she knew her daughter had gone straight to her room when she had come home. She didn't have that many friends, and ever since Yamanaka Ino had fallen out of good graces over the Uchiha, she had no one she talked with anymore. She had dedicated herself to her books and only her books, which made her wonder if her daughter would ever be able to become a ninja or for that fact an independent woman when the time came.

Heading upstairs to the only two rooms upstairs, she knocked on the door with the plaque on it that simply read Sakura and was bordered with cherry blossoms. "Honey, are you awake?" Sayuri called before she hesitantly opened the door to the room.

Sakura sat at her desk, head cradled in her arms and gently sobbed to herself. Sayuri walked in carefully, quietly closing the door behind her and came over to her daughter, stroking her bright pink hair. Turning her chair around, Sakura placed her head against her mother as she wrapped her arms around her.

"Oh mom, it's terrible." Sakura moaned as she took another deep breath. "Because of me, we failed our admission test to become Genin."

"Sshhh, it's alright, honey." She held the child that was her heart close to her as she let her pour out her misery. "I'm sure you did your best."

"But I didn't." Sakura cried as she explained what she did on the test. "I'm the worst kunoichi there ever was. I left my teammate and fell or the easiest genjutsu there was."

Sayuri sighed as she tilted her head down, her own bright pink hair shading her face. "I heard about it from Kakashi when he made his report. We were in council when the Jounin finished."

Sakura looked up at her mother with a look that begged that she was joking her. When she saw her mom was dead serious, she cried even harder. "I'm so sorry, mom. I didn't know they would say that in council with you present. I must have embarrassed you in front of so many people."

"It's nothing I can't live with." _**"But I would have preferred not to."**_ Sayuri's inner self muttered right after herself in her head. "But I do have at least some good news for you."

"Can I at least commit seppuku to make up for the dishonor before I hear this good news?" Sakura asked in misery, not caring if the world ended right now or not.

Sayuri huffed. "Honestly, Sakura. I thought you were tougher than this. I was going to give you this letter from the Hokage stating that you were to report to his room tomorrow for your team's first mission, but…"

Sakura's head snapped up. "But we failed, mom. How can we have a mission when we're not even Genin?"

"I think you'd better read the letter then." Sayuri reached behind her and pulled out a scroll with the Hokage's seal on it.

Handing the scroll over to Sakura, she watched as her daughter broke the wax on it before reading through the scroll thoroughly. Her eyebrows rose slightly the first time through, then rose even higher by the time she had read through it the second time.

"We passed?!?" Sakura nearly shouted as she finished reading the scroll a third time through. "But Sasuke-kun and I failed the test!"

Sayuri winced when Sakura used that pet name. "True, you both did fail the test, but don't forget what the purpose of the test was." Sakura looked blankly up at her mother and Sayuri sighed. "You didn't pay any attention after you were told you failed, did you?" Sakura shook her head. Sayuri sighed to herself. "The tests purpose was to show you teamwork, and to make all of you work toward a common goal. Although both you and Sasuke failed the test, your third teammate managed to secure the bells, signifying the end of the test."

"So that means…" Sakura's face lit up as she understood what her mother was getting at and hugged her tightly. "Oh, this is the best thing that could have happened to us! Thanks, mom!"

"Don't thank me yet, I don't know what the Hokage has planned for all of you as a team. Both you and Sasuke did fail the purpose of the test, so I'm sure he is going to have something set up for you to teach you teamwork." Sayuri said as Sakura released her and rushed over to her closet.

"Oh, I don't have anything to wear tomorrow in front of the Hokage. What am I going to do?" Clothes started flying out in droves from the closet as Sayuri stepped out of the way of the lethal weapons of fashion.

"Wear your ninja clothes tomorrow, and something with the Haruno crest on it, at least." Sayuri suggested as she headed for the door and the kitchen beyond. Dinner was already running late. "At least show the pride of your clan tomorrow, no matter what the Hokage throws at you."

Closing the door to her daughter's room, she sighed as she leaned back against the door. Sometimes, she wondered about her daughter, but she knew she was already turning into a very strong Haruno.

* * *

Naruto laid against Sanae and Kanae in Hana's room. It annoyed Hana the first time when she had invited Naruto to sleep in her room when he had been seven, she had been a vet in training and had just patched Naruto up for the first time, but didn't want him to go home and get her work dirty where she couldn't see him, so she had told her mother that Naruto was sleeping in her room. Normally, you don't tell Tsume anything, you listened, but Hana threatened to fight her mother if she insisted that Naruto go home. 

He had slept that night in between Sanae and Kanae the same way as he was laying right then. She couldn't get him to lay with her in bed where he would be safe and protected, but when her pets whined when she had said that, she had relented. Honestly, she was just trying to look out for the poor kid, she wasn't trying to insult them. She watched him breathing slowly as Sanae flicked her ear a few times while dreaming, usually that was a sign that she was on the hunt and tracking something. Kanae laid on her back with her legs in the air, strange for a dog nearly the size on Naruto, but she was a strange dog to begin with.

Mikoto laid against her on her left, hidden behind her to be a surprise for anyone trying to sneak in on her and do anything they weren't supposed to. Kidnapping was on that list, but as she became older, a few other things were added to it. All three of her dogs laid silently in their sleep as she looked at her little assembled family, checking each of them one last time before tucking herself in for bed. In her room, she was the Alpha, and no one messed with her pack.

In Naruto's head, he floated in darkness, or more to the point, he was and wasn't there. Dreams when he had been younger had been hell for him and he had learned a way to sleep without dreaming. His mind floated off into nothing as his body rested only for him to open his eyes and find himself in front of the cage containing the Kyuubi.

**"Isn't it so nice to be loved? You, who never deserved to be loved in the first place?"** The demon fox sneered down at Naruto.

Naruto stood up slowly, his body woozy from being pulled into here while he was asleep. "What the hell do you want with me this time?" Naruto grumbled as he scratched at his hair, his mind felt fuzzy.

The demon fox grinned maliciously down at him. **"I find it so humorous that you can lie down amongst dogs when we are foxes. It's so cute that it makes me want to cry."**

Naruto frowned up at the gigantic demon behind the bars. "I am not a fox."

**"I am in you, and that makes you me."** The fox grinned down at him as it darkly chuckled as Naruto shifted back and forth.

"Did you really need to bring me into you to tell me that? I could be sleeping right now, y'know." Naruto huffed, scratching the back of his head and the Fox's grin fell.

**"I'm trying to impress upon you that we will never be loved."** Kyuubi spat down at him. **"Look at the state you're in at this very moment, gaki. You're sleeping with dogs of all things. Don't you have any self respect at all? You're a Fox! You shouldn't have anything to do with Dogs!"**

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. "Don't talk about Sanae and Kanae like that, baka fox. They like me…"

**"Their master feels bad for you."** Kyuubi sneered down at him. **"Dogs are known for loyalty and will do what their master wants. Because their master feels bad for you, they feel bad for you."**

"Hah!" Naruto pointed his finger up at Kyuubi, as if flinging his point at it. "That just proves that she cares about me!"

The demonic Kitsune stared at him blankly for a moment before rolling over and laughing uproariously, making the room shake with its laughter.

"What the hell do you find so funny, Kyuubi-teme?" Naruto shouted out, outraged at the actions of his 'prisoner'.

**"You're sleeping on the floor with her mutts with no blankets in her room while she sleeps on the bed."** The Kyuubi turned over to look at Naruto as if he was an idiot. **"She bandaged you up and washed your clothes, that's true enough, but she didn't give you some place to rest properly, leaving you to sleep on the floor with her animals. Even as hurt as you are, she's treating you like one of her dogs."**

Naruto took a sullen look to his face. "She's seen me heal up from worse plenty of times."

Kyuubi snorted at him and got to its feet, turning into the back of its cage. **"Go away and live in your fantasy, stupid gaki. If you refuse to see the world as it truly is, then I hope you never become a ninja."**

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he was forced out of the seal on his body. He sat up slowly and looked at Sanae and Kanae as they slept near him, Sanae twitching and making light sounds in her sleep while Kanae's ear twitched from time to time. Looking at the bed, Mikoto had raised herself up and looked across to Naruto, watching him.

Naruto reached up behind his head and scratched at his hair. "Gomen, Mikoto. I had a nightmare."

The larger of the triplets eyed him for a moment before laying back down beside Hana, who moaned slightly in her sleep. Naruto glanced at the brown haired girl as she slept under the covers before getting up carefully and walking over to the hallway door. Hearing a whine from behind him, he looked back at both Sanae and Kanae who had woken up at some point.

Making a shushing motion with his finger and mouth, he opened the door and slipped out into the hall, peeking back into the room before closing the door behind him. He moved quietly from Hana's room down to the bathroom where his orange jump pants were laid out for him. As kind as Hana was to give him something else to wear, he was wearing Kiba's clothes, and he knew that Kiba always complained about Naruto making his clothes smell like foxes.

He entered the bathroom and did his business as quietly as he could before changing out of Kiba's clothing and putting on his pants and orange overcoat. Zipping up the front to keep the cold out, he placed Kiba's clothes into the laundry basket and exited the bathroom, turning for the front door of the Inuzuka house.

He walked past a sleeping Kuromaru as quietly as he could, making sure to take slow and careful steps around the oldest of the dogs in the house. Kuromaru had made it a point to make the boy know that he was an interloper in this house, but as long as he was invited in first, there wasn't much he could say. It was one thing to defend the house and the family inside it, it was another thing to go up against Tsume.

Naruto snagged his sandals from the front step in front of the door as he slid the door open. Feeling eyes on his back, he froze for a moment and glanced over his shoulder toward Kuromaru, who had not shifted from where he lay. He watched the sleeping dog for several minutes, not moving in the slightest before stepping outside and setting the lock on the door before closing it.

Kuromaru opened his one eye and raised himself up, looking at the door. "He's got a little skill in sensing his surroundings." Kuromaru spoke quietly to the empty room.

Tsume stepped out of the shadows near Kuromaru. "It's because you spiked killer intent at him. That's something easily felt by him."

Kuromaru snorted his disdain. "I only let a tiny fraction of killer intent out. Barely enough to make anyone feel it."

Tsume smiled slightly, her grin giving her face a deadly smile to it. "Do you approve of my decision now?"

Kuromaru stared at the door for a bit longer before snorting and laid back down, facing the doorway. "He's got somewhat passing manners, locking the door behind himself in the middle of the night. He stills smells like a fox, though."

Tsume turned around and headed down the hall to her own bedroom. "You smell like you need a bath. I'll see if Hana will give you one tomorrow. I liked seeing you dressed in those pink ribbons she used to put in your fur."

* * *

The sun was just coming up as Naruto walked up to the guards in front of the Hokage's tower. It had been a cold night and he was a little hungry, but he had gone longer without eating. The guards seeing who it was allowed Naruto through, though Naruto thought he had seen a brief flash of irritation on their faces. Still, they didn't try to impede him, and he needed a shirt if he was going to walk around without having his coat zipped up all the time. 

Walking into Sandaime's office, the old man was already behind his desk, hard at work slaying the scourge of all Hokage's with his mightiest weapon known to date, his pen.

Seeing Naruto walk into his office, Sandaime put his pen down and smiled at the blonde child. "Good morning, Naruto. You're slightly early for your mission, aren't you?" Naruto stopped and tilted his head to the side at the old man. Looking surprised, Sarutobi sat up straighter in his seat. "Didn't you get your scroll from me yesterday?" Naruto shook his head as the aging Hokage sighed. "Your landlord told me he was going to give it to you when you came home last night, and I have a confirmation from a ninja I sent to check up on whether you got it or not that you did come home and he did give you your letter."

Naruto scratched at the back of his head. "I was kicked out of my home two days ago, jii-san. I actually came for my allowance. I need to go buy a new shirt." Naruto unzipped his coat a little to expose his shirtless chest to the Sandaime.

Sandaime could only sigh to himself. Once again, Naruto was being unjustly punished by his village, the very people Yondaime had sacrificed himself for. He could only imagine how disappointed he would be at them all for treating Naruto the way they did. "I have a spare shirt here, Naruto." Sandaime commented as he reached for the lowest drawer on his desk and opened it up, reaching in and pulling out a plain white t-shirt before laying it on his desk.

Naruto walked over and unzipped his coat in front of Sandaime, placing the unzipped coat behind him on one of the chairs before unfolding the shirt carefully and sliding it on over his head. As he slid his coat back on, a knock at the door had both him and Sandaime look as the secretary opened the door.

"Hokage-sama, the requested Jounin are here to see you." She spoke deferentially, head bowed from the doorway.

"Send them in." Sandaime called and received a second bow before she went back outside. "Come over here, Naruto. You need to hear this." Sandaime motioned for Naruto to join him on the other side of the Hokage desk.

As Naruto joined him on the other side of the desk, four Jounin walked into the room. The two easiest for Naruto to recognize were the silver haired sensei and the red eyed woman of Kakashi and Kurenai.

The next two were people he had seen before, but never dealt with on a regular basis. One man was as tall as Kakashi and dressed much like the silver haired Jounin, though he didn't wear a face mask. His hair was held up in a spiky mess by his hitai-ate, black hair and beard framing his tanned face, he had a cigarette hanging from his lips and his hands in his pockets. Naruto thought he kind of looked like Sandaime a little bit, though he didn't looked thrilled to be there.

The second made Naruto wonder where he had come from. His hair looked like some kind of weird black mushroom cap on his head. The green full body spandex suit on his body made him stand out nearly as bad as Naruto did in his orange clothing The grin on his face was bright, or at least, his teeth extremely bright, having their own light seemingly coming from them. The only thing worse than the man's perpetual smile was his eyebrows, which looked like he had killed some extra fat caterpillars and stuck them above his eyes.

"Good morning Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai." Sandaime said as he stood up from behind his desk, nodding to each of them. "I have brought you all here today because there will be a change in the normal training of all of your teams."

"This is about the council decision last night, isn't it?" Gai asked, since he had only heard from his fellow Jounin about what had happened.

Sarutobi nodded. "Naruto here was able to get the bells from Kakashi before he terminated the test, and because of this, I ruled that they passed their exam." All of the Jounin looked to Naruto who remained silent, his blank look on his face. "As such, I want them to learn from all of the teams what teamwork is. I am asking you to volunteer your teams."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just tell us to do it?" The cigarette smoker asked around his cancer stick.

Sandaime sighed before speaking. "I could order you, Asuma. However, that would be putting unneeded strain on your entire team and you for taking on something that you may not be able to handle with your teams. Gai's team is the only Genin team from last year and has at least worked with his group of students long enough to gauge if they are able to assist Kakashi's team."

Gai raised his hand up and gave a thumb's up pose, his teeth making an audible pinging sound as he grinned brighter than usual. "Team Gai volunteers for this mission, Hokage-sama. But what about missions? Will we take both teams with us when we do those?"

Sandaime shook his head. "I will be assigning every volunteered team a one month pass on all missions unless both Jounin believe that both teams can accomplish the mission successfully. I am hoping that within a one month period of time, they will learn from each team and their sensei, expanding on not only their teamwork, but on the skills that both Jounin can impart to the combined squad."

Asuma seemed to chew on his cigarette for a moment before grunting. "I'd like a week to get a true feel from my team before I volunteer them. It's their team, and they may not approve of having a second group teamed up with them."

Kurenai gave Asuma a disapproving look before turning to Sandaime. "I'd prefer to get the opinion of my team as well, but more importantly, I'd like to learn from my team. It is my first time being a Jounin instructor, and I'd like to get a feel for being a good teacher for them before we accept."

Sandaime nodded and looked to Kakashi. "Then I will leave it up to you, Kakashi. You can jump in immediately and have your team work with Gai's for their first month, or you can wait a week and see if Asuma and Kurenai change their minds."

Kakashi blinked as if just now paying attention to the conversation going on around him. "I think we can handle being in Gai's group for a month. They are the best team to give the example of teamwork since they have been together the longest. It will just mean that we will be working mostly on mostly taijutsu and the ninjutsu I can add in to my team."

Sandaime nodded approvingly. "Then I am assigning Team 7 and Team Gai together for the next month starting tomorrow. There will be no missions for either team unless approved by both Jounin."

A small growl came from beside the Hokage and Sarutobi looked over at Naruto who was holding his stomach, looking down at the loud thing.

"For now," Sarutobi stated with a smile as he reached into his robed and pulled out several coins from a pocket up his sleeve, "I'd like to ask one of you to escort Naruto to a dango shop down the street. I'm guessing he neglected to eat this morning before coming over?"

Naruto nodded as Sarutobi handed over the coins to Naruto.

"I'll take him, Hokage-sama." Kurenai offered. "I know someone who frequents the place. She should be getting their shortly and my team won't be meeting for another hour or so, so I could grab a bite to eat as well."

"Very well then, you are all dismissed." Taking their bows, Gai and Kakashi shunshined out of the room, Asuma watching back and forth as Naruto walked around the desk and took Kurenai's hand. As they began to walk out, Asuma slipped in behind them and followed them out.

Sarutobi sat down at his desk once again, picking up his pen as he looked at the paperwork that was still awaiting his signature. What he wouldn't give right now to be retired once again.

* * *

Kurenai and Naruto walked out into the street in front of the Hokage's tower, Asuma walking right behind them and following them into the street. Waching as a few people nodded to the kunoichi and frowned at her escort, Kurenai and Naruto waited just a moment before turning and heading off to the dango shop down the street. 

"I heard how you got the bells away from Kakashi, Naruto." Kurenai spoke happily to her blonde friend. "In all the time Kakashi has given that test, no one has been able to get the bells from him."

"How did you get those bells away from him anyway?" Asuma asked from behind Kurenai and Naruto, getting a frown thrown from Kurenai's shoulder before smiling down at Naruto.

"Kakashi sensei wrapped me up and drug us both underground when Sasuke blew a jutsu at the both of us." Naruto explained, getting a frown from Kurenai. "When Kakashi went to go attack Sasuke, I took the bells from his waist."

Asuma grimaced for a moment, shaking his head before he grinned. "Kakashi really is slipping. That orange book of his is dulling his edge."

"That orange book of his should be burned and banned from Konoha." Kurenai sniffed disdainfully as she noticed the dango shop and the brown coat that was peeking out from out of the doorway.

"So, Kurenai," Asuma spoke, trying to get her attention for his own, "feel any different now that you're a Jounin with her very first Genin team?"

Kurenai tilted her head back at Asuma, who was smiling happily to himself for being able to at least get her to look at him with anything but disdain. "I haven't had my team for more than a day and you're asking me what I think? Have some patience, Asuma."

"Nai-chan?" The dread voice made Asuma cringe as Kurenai stepped through the doorway and into the simple business. Only a few tables were set out for the odds and assortment of food that was served here, and at one sat Mitarashi Anko, dango stick in hand.

"Hello, Anko-chan." Kurenai spoke happily as she released Naruto's hand, sitting down at the table next to Anko. "How are you this morning?"

Anko grinned happily as she downed a whole stick of dango into her mouth. "It's a great day." Mumbled Anko before she finished chewing and swallowed. "We broke Mizuki not too long ago. Apparently, he thought he could become some great ninja if he stole the scroll and learned everything he could from it before selling it off to Kumo."

Kurenai shook her head as Naruto walked over to the counter, standing behind the only customer at the stand.

"Some ninja." Kurenai sighed as she glanced over at Naruto.

"Good morning, Anko-chan." Asuma said politely, standing behind a chair at the table as he waved to Anko.

Anko took an unreadable look for a moment as she picked up a second dango stick and slid the first ball of dango off it, chewing slowly. "Morning, Asuma Saru."

Asuma winced slightly. "Is it alright if I have a seat, Anko?" Obviously, she took offense to him speaking to her in so familiar a way.

Anko eyed the chair that Asuma was standing in front of before getting a devious grin on her face. "I don't mind," Asuma sighed, wondering if this was a sign that he was at least not being kept at kunai point, "The store might mind if you eat one of their chairs, though."

Ok, so maybe he was being kept further than kunai point. He would have continued to try and be polite and maybe earn a good grace or two from the ever eccentric Anko if the man behind the counter didn't call for one of their attention.

"Hey," the clerk called over to them, "which one of you brought this thing in with you?" He was pointing down at a stock still Naruto.

Kurenai sat up straighter, bristling with killer intent. Asuma grimaced, knowing where this was going to go. Anko peered at the clerk with the unreadable face that seemed to hide everything about her thoughts.

"Is there a problem?" Kurenai bit every word off, daring the man to say something.

The man called her dare and raised it. "We don't serve trash here. Get out, and take your trash with you."

Kurenai reached for her kunai pouch, only to feel Asuma's hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She looked up at him and he shook his head barely from side to side. Grunting, she stood up and walked over to Naruto, sending a modicum of killer intent at the man behind the counter. He simply stared at her as if it hardly meant anything to him.

"That's not exactly good business, kicking paying customers out." Anko murmured around the last piece of dango on the stick. She had quickly lost her appetite and wanted to be gone from here.

"As if your opinion matters, Traitor." The clerk behind the counter snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Snake's whore is nearly as bad as that animal on two legs. You can get out, too."

Kurenai had gotten Naruto away from the counter and headed for the door until the clerk had ripped into Anko. Before Kurenai realized what he was doing, Naruto broke out of her hand and turned before leaping at the clerk, a shout of anger coming from his mouth as he reached with outstretched hands for the man's throat.

Asuma was caught flatfooted as he watched the 12 year old boy leap from where he had been walking, clearing the counter and plowing the man down to the floor behind the counter. He shouted in anger at first, before he cried out in pain and fear as the boy began to beat hell into him. Anko and Kurenai jumped after Naruto, pulling hard on the boy as they pried him from the clerk who was sporting a cut lip, black eye, and several scratches on his face.

"Get out and don't come back!" The clerk shouted as he jumped to his feet, reaching inside the backroom door and retrieving a sword. "I'll kill you myself the next time you darken my doorstep!"

Naruto was still snarling, jerking hard against the hands of Kurenai and Anko as he fought to get back after the clerk. Asuma made sure to be the last one out of the building, blocking the view from Naruto as they stepped out into the street.

Naruto stopped trying to fight once they were in the street, the will to fight blown clean from him. Kurenai took his limp hand in hers as Anko stood back from the boy, Asuma looking back over his shoulder at the building so he could remember the name of the place. The Hokage was going to hear about this.

"Of all the nerve!" Kurenai hissed, glaring hotly at the doorway.

"Don't worry about it, Nai-chan." Anko shrugged as she eyed the hand holding. "Their food sucked anyways."

Naruto muttered under his breath. Kurenai bent down slightly, forgetting about the shop and its despicable owner for the time being. "Say again?" she asked, pushing her hair back from her ear.

"He shouldn't talk about Kurenai nee-chan like that." Naruto looked up at the building with tears of frustration pouring down from his eyes. "He shouldn't talk about Anko nee-chan like that, either."

Anko raised an eyebrow at the frustration in the boy's face and the way he held himself. "I'm not your sister, gaki." Anko felt something warm inside of her, but brushed it off as simply being indigestion.

Sniffling to himself, Naruto wiped at his eyes with his arm. Taking his hand from Kurenai, he looked up into the worried eyes of the red eyed Jounin. "Do you know when I'm supposed to be back to meet my team?" He asked, his voice steady and no longer shivering with anger.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't know when." Kurenai sighed as she watched him push down the pain once again. She felt something in her die every time she watched that.

"Eh, don't worry, kid." Anko mussed his hair up before leaving them behind. "When I see the Hokage, I'll send someone to tell you." She waved over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Hold up, Anko." Asuma called as he trotted after her. "I'd like a few words with my father as well."

Kurenai watched her two compatriots head back toward the Hokage's tower. She wanted to go with them, what had occurred inside the dango shop had made her upset enough to wish harm on someone of her own village. She had half a mind to go back in the shop and let loose with her Jubaku Satsu to teach the man a very deadly lesson, but she couldn't leave Naruto as he was. Turning back to look at Naruto, she realized that he was walking the other way down the street, his hands in his pockets.

"Naruto, where are you going?" Kurenai asked as she hurried to catch up to him, only to stop when he looked back at her.

"I'm going to eat." Naruto spoke with no emotion in his voice, a broken look in his blue eyes. "You should probably not come with me, nee-chan." Waiting a few moments longer to make sure she got the message, Naruto turned back around and kept walking away from her.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, she couldn't help but wonder if Naruto had placed some new type of genjutsu on her. She had never felt this cold before in her entire life.

* * *

**"You should have killed him."** Kyuubi spoke in his mind, disgruntled that Naruto had only roughed the man up some.

Naruto hardly paid any attention to the people either spitting on him or giving him the evil eye as he walked past them. Having Kyuubi speaking in his 'ear' was just making him feel worse about himself.

**"If it had been me, I'd have ripped his throat out with my teeth."** Kyuubi muttered, speaking its dark thoughts that it couldn't do itself. That it irritated Naruto was a bonus. **"You're a pathetic prison. Can't even kill a civilian that talks bad about us, what a joke of a ninja."**

Naruto turned a corner, Ichiraku's Ramen not too far away at this point.

**"It's not enough that I have to dwell in this sack of flesh you call a body, but I have to watch as you vainly struggle to live."** Kyuubi muttered once again. **"Dying would be less shameful than this existence! I could at least be back in..."**

Kyuubi's rant was cut off short as a cinder block connected against his temple, nearly knocking him out as the stone block cracked against his skull. He dropped face down immediately, his brain short circuiting from the intensity of the pain. Feeling himself being dragged into the alleyway he can only assume the brick came from, he kept blinking his eyes to try and clear the dizziness from them.

"Look at it." Someone's voice echoed around him. "The trash these days seems to think it can walk down the street like a normal person."

"This isn't any ordinary trash." Another person said as Naruto felt his hitai-ate was ripped from his throbbing head. "It thinks it can play dress up."

The weapons pouch attached to his left thigh was cut free by someone as he groaned, his arms tingling as his brain struggled to get control of his body once again.

"Nice weapons you got here." A third person spoke behind him, near his feet. "Mind if we use them?"

He took a kick to the other side of his head, the shoe hitting him nearly as hard as the brick and making his head scream in pain. Trying to get his body to function once more, Naruto knew that the pain in his head was only about to get worse as the first kunai was driven into his thigh.

* * *

Kakashi had gathered the rest of Team 7 in the Hokage's room, they were merely waiting on Naruto now. He had walked in on the last bit of a conversation between the Sandaime and Kurenai, Asuma, and a very quiet Anko. Kurenai and Asuma were angry for a reason if he understood what he thought he had heard from the brief bit of conversation. Anko was being overly quiet, especially if she was here for the same reason. Kakashi could honestly say that Mitarashi Anko was the only woman who scared him worse than death.

An ANBU had been called into the office and had been ordered to find Naruto, wherever he had gone to, and to bring him there immediately. Kakashi knew the purple hair and cat mask the ANBU sported, identifying them as only one person, a special ANBU woman named Uzuki Yuugao. She specialized in kenjutsu, a specialized combat form based around swords. It had been rumored that Gekkou Hayate, the village's foremost master of kenjutsu, had taken a special interest in Yuugao.

That had been about thirty minutes ago. ANBU were known for completing their missions with speed and finesse, and the wait that everyone was going through was saying that something was wrong.

"What the hell is the dobe doing?" Sasuke griped from his seat on the couch, Sakura kicking her feet in front of her sat next to him. "Can't we just hear what needs to be said and move on? It's obvious that he's not taking being a ninja seriously."

Kakashi eyed Sasuke for a moment before sighing. "You're only here because of Naruto." Kakashi spoke calmly, watching as the kid in his blue high collar shirt tensed in indignation. "The least you can do is wait."

Sakura wanted to say something in Sasuke's defense, but she was trying to mind her tongue. After having embarrassed her mother enough for one lifetime, she was going to do what she could to make her at least proud of her. Even if that did mean she had to wait for the blonde dead last of their class.

The sudden pop and reappearance of the very same ANBU made everyone shift, finally ready to move on to what they had been gathered together to talk about. They tensed up when they saw the blood dripping from her gloves and smeared on her armored chest plate.

"Yuugao, Report!" Sandaime snapped harshly, fear gripping his heart and his stomach in a death like vise.

"I located Uzumaki Naruto, as you ordered, Hokage-sama." Yuugao spoke calmly, no emotion in her voice. "I was unable to bring him back. I had to take him immediately to the hospital and order several doctors to begin treating him for blood loss." Anko was heard to move from the place she had been leaning against the wall and walked out of the room, making sure to slam the doors open as she left. "I found him pinned several feet off the ground to a wall, Hokage-sama. His weapon holster had been stripped from him, his headband tossed in a nearby garbage can, and his weapons used to hold him up through parts of his body."

Kurenai blanched at the description, Asuma cursed as the cigarette fell from his slack jaw to fall to the carpeted floor. Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the description of his newest member of his team being shanghaied and tortured while his other students either looked disbelieving at the ANBU or just looked ready to throw up. Sandaime's eyes blazed angrily as he stood up.

"Do you know who did this to him?" Sarutobi's voice was level and controlled as he prayed to Kami that Yuugao had caught at least someone.

"I am sorry, Hokage-sama. In prioritizing Uzumaki-san's life, I did not look for evidence against those who would do this to him." Yuugao's masked visage tilted her head down, shame gracing her voice.

"It seems that making Naruto weak was exactly what some people were hoping for." Kakashi spoke aloud, turning the ire from those that had hurt Naruto to those who had taught him.

Sarutobi had always held a modicum of pride for his village, but at this moment, all he could hold in him is the desire to raze this cursed village of bigots and send it to hell where they belonged.

"Your orders, Hokage-sama?" Yuugao asked, needing to know the will of the fire shadow as the shame of failing the Hokage so badly made her wish to do something to redeem herself.

"I want you personally to find every Jounin or Chuunin you can that does not hold any resentment to Uzumaki Naruto." Sarutobi worded himself carefully, seeing the look of curiosity on the Uchiha's face and shell shocked on the Haruno's. They knew nothing of Naruto's tenant, and it was his own law that prevented him from telling them. "I am ordering a special war party in this room tonight. Tell them specifically that it is strictly voluntary and that no one is being ordered to appear."

Waiting for Yuugao to nod confirmation of this, the Hokage continued. "Once you have located everyone you believe does not wish any harm on Naruto and informed them of this, I am ordering you to guard Uzumaki Naruto with your life. If anyone so much as speaks ill of him in your presence, you have my authority to kill them immediately." The hesitation was there, but he received a nod of acknowledgement just the same. Waving his hand before her, the ANBU Yuugao shunshined away.

Kakashi waited a few moments for Sarutobi to restrain himself before the Hokage sat himself down. Once the old man was settled, he spoke with a slight warning in his voice, "The council isn't going to like it that you're pulling special favor for him."

Sarutobi's pyre like gaze made Kakashi stiffen. "One of my newest ninjas was nearly assassinated in town today. For all intents and purposes, it could have been just as easy to get ahold of Uchiha Sasuke and kill him."

Sasuke snorted at that. He wasn't a dobe like the blonde idiot was, there was no way he was going to get ambushed and turned into a wall picture.

"Hokage-sama." Kurenai spoke hollowly, her knees weak. "With your permission, I would like to be excused."

Sandaime stood up from his desk. "I will be taking my leave as well." He looked at Asuma, receiving a nod from him that he wished to go too. "Kakashi. I'm leaving it up to you to inform your team on the specifics."

Kakashi nodded as he looked over at his students. Getting a new read from them, he was even more disappointed at them than before. Sasuke looked as if he couldn't care less about his teammates near death and Sakura looked as if she was going to be ill at any moment. Sighing at his own plight, he resolved himself to do everything he possibly could to make sure they would survive to see another day, so that they wouldn't end up like Naruto.

* * *

The pain was slowly receeding, he could feel his wounds closing slowly, but they were closing. His mouth was dry and his head spun with phantom pain, making him dizzy just by laying still in his bed. They had made the pain linger, just like they had promised. He wasn't exactly sure if it was better than he was alive, or that he wished they had killed him instead.

His nose scented the air, always the smartest thing to do when you were laid up somewhere you didn't remember getting to under your own power. The room he was in smelled of antiseptic and cleaning supplies, things he naturally associated with death.

He scented someone in the room with him, which made him tense reflexively. People in the same room as him were usually a bad thing, especially when he was waking up to pain. Strange, how a person could get used to something when they had lived with it for most of their lives.

"How are you, gaki?" The female voice spoke softly to him as a hand mussed his hair, making his head ache softly.

His eyes opened blearily as he looked up at the dull brown eyes and purple hair of Mitarashi Anko. She wasn't smiling at him, but she didn't look like she was upset at him either.

"Did you die, too?" Naruto asked, his voice hoarse. He must have screamed his head off while he had been beaten.

"I die a little bit more every day." Anko smiled wistfully down at him, something in her voice touching him in a way he had never felt before. It wasn't the answer Naruto was asking, but it seemed to convey the same answer to him.

Naruto attempted to sit up, only to feel a gentle hand press him back down into the bed. "You may be a spunky gaki, but you're not immortal. You need to rest."

Naruto brushed her hand off his shoulder and sat up unsteadily. His shirt had been removed at some point and his chest had been bandaged up. At least they had left his blood stained pants on him, though they had turned them into shorts by cutting the legs off and leaving him with into an inch or two of pant leg left. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he pushed off and landed unsteadily.

Anko went to help him, but he shrugged her hand off a second time. Walking into the bathroom, he filled the cup in there with water before running it through his hair, washing the blood out of his golden locks. He got most of it out before he started ripping his bandages off of him, throwing them to the floor as Anko watched him.

He looked himself over carefully, seeing that the holes in him had been reduced to open gashes that bled only a little bit. His ribs hurt, possibly from a break or two that was nearly healed, but nothing else he couldn't handle. He didn't even bother to mourn the loss of his clothing, they had been given to him anyways, and were always getting destroyed by one person or another.

He walked by her a second time and was on his way out the door into the hospital when several snakes wrapped around him and pulled him back into the room, placing him on the bed. The snakes, once depositing Naruto on the bed, released him and slid back up Anko's sleeves.

"And where do you think you're going?" Anko asked, hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"I'm going to find something to eat." Naruto spoke with a rasp before trying to clear his throat. "I still haven't had breakfast."

Anko watched him with her blank look before reaching into her coat and handing him a dango stick, complete with the tasty confection. "Always make sure you carry food on you at all times. Never know when you're going to eat next." Anko grinned sassy like at him as he took the stick carefully from her.

He eyed her and eyed the food before repeating himself. Shrugging, he took the first ball off the stick as the door opened to his room. Sarutobi walked in first, closely followed by a pale faced Kurenai and a scowling Asuma. "How are you feeling, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked as Naruto sat up, Anko making room for the Hokage.

"I screwed up, jii-san." Naruto spoke carefully.

Sarutobi winced at the defeat in Naruto's voice before he reached around and hugged the blonde boy in his arms. "You did no such thing, Naruto." Sarutobi spoke solemnly, rubbing the child's back for his own sake.

Naruto looked at the heart break on Kurenai's face. At least she hadn't gotten hurt because of him. "Jii-san, do you still think my parents would be proud of me?"

Anko winced while Kurenai started to cry and Asuma look guiltily at the floor. Sarutobi shivered as he stroked the boy one more time. "I'm more sure that ever, Naruto. They couldn't be more proud of you than I am."

* * *

**Hhmmm, not sure I liked how this ended, but then again, I didn't push it any harder than what I usually do.**


	5. Introductions

**It's the End of the World! Fire from the Sky! Cataclysms of biblical proportions, and do you know who?**

**I'VE UPDATED AT LAST!!**

**And now that I've got that little bit out of the way, I feel as if I have been reborn, Hallelujah! Well, anyways, I have finished the Naruto chapter that should of been out two months ago, a planned move blowing up in your face tends to slow things down. NO ONE CARES THOUGH, so let's get straight to the story**

**Disclaimer: Nothing herein was allowed by the true owners of the Naruto franchise, series, etc. to be used in this context. This is strictly a work of fiction done in a different vein by the insanity that is the biscuit!**

**G.B.: Get on with it, Man!**

* * *

'blah' normal speech

_'blah'_ inner though, inflected word

**'Blah!'** Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**'Blah no Jutsu!'** Jutsu attack

* * *

The morning sun saw Naruto stepping out of the hospital under ANBU protection the next day. He looked around the street at those who were passing him, glaring at him hatefully. He looked up behind him to the purple haired ANBU hovering behind him, a blank look on his face before adjusting his new orange coat.

"Did jii-san say if my team was meeting today for training?" Naruto asked, not looking back at his personal shadow.

"I believe that your team is meeting with Team Gai today." Yuugao answered, standing stock still. She didn't look like she was paying attention to anything, but no one doubted that ANBU were never known to be anything but coiled springs.

Naruto looked around himself once again. "Do you know where they're training at?"

The cat mask looked down at the blonde haired boy reached down along his new bright orange pants before he strapped the weapon holster on his left thigh. "Gai's team trains in training ground nine. Are you intent on going to training?"

Naruto nodded absently as he stood straight, and turned to face Yuugao. "I need to get stronger, so that I don't get hurt like I did yesterday."

Yuugao stared at Naruto for a few moments before nodding. "Follow me, then. I will show you the way."

Naruto waved Yuugao off before she could jump away. "Thank you for watching over me, ANBU-san, but I can get to training ground nine by myself." Turning where he stood, he jumped onto an awning before jumping up to a rooftop and headed off from her.

She waited a few minutes before heading off after Naruto, jumping to the rooftop in one chakra empowered bound. She checked to make sure Naruto wasn't looking behind himself before she continued to follow him, thinking back to the meeting that the Hokage had ordered to be gathered in his office.

* * *

**(Last Night - Hokage's Office)**

The Hokage looked around his small room at the twenty Jounin in it. It was disappointing to see so few Jounin gathered in his office. He was hoping for standing room only, with all the furniture having to be moved into the waiting room. The only Chuunin that had come was the homeroom teacher from the academy, Umino Iruka. The revelation that none of the other teachers were going to come sent Sarutobi's blood pressure flying.

"I know it's late, but I called you all here for a reason." The Hokage announced as Kakashi wandered into the room, closing the doors behind him before propping himself up against the door frame. "This very morning, Uzumaki Naruto was attacked in the street and was pinned to a wall by his own weapons. There is no evidence to suggest that this was an attack from any outside source."

Eyes shifted back and forth between several of the gathered people, mutters and dark glances flashing by before Sarutobi continued. "I have had Naruto placed in protective custody under two men I trust the most out of those gathered here for the time being. The council will be calling for me shortly, so this meeting must be brief."

"What is it you wish to talk to us about, Hokage-sama?" A scarred faced man asked, wrapping his arms in front of him as his trench coat flapped lightly, the bandanna wrapped around his head adding to the level of intimidation he was exuding.

Sarutobi eyed the scarred man before looking around the room. "I called you all here because you, out of the entire village of Konoha, do not hate Naruto." A few of the ninja shifted their feet back and forth and readjusted themselves in their place, but remained silent. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at those who moved, noticing that the scarred man hadn't even flinched. "He was nearly killed today by the very people of this village. I am asking any and all of you to watch out for him when he is not with his team."

Several of the ninja looked back and forth at each other, only the few that knew Naruto personally or had at some time associated with him didn't move or look at each other.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama." One of the ninjas who had been looking around spoke up, his brown hair and bandages across the bridge of his nose and face hiding a bit of his face. "Are you asking us unofficially to protect Uzumaki Naruto?"

He sighed. He should have figured that there would be a few even among those that didn't hate Naruto that wouldn't exactly like him either.

"I am asking you to keep an eye out for instances where the villagers will try to attack him again." The Hokage looked around at all of them, making sure he had their attention. "He was attacked out in daylight, no one saw or heard his screaming on a public street, and only the ANBU I had sent to look for him found him, even though he was feet away from the mouth of the alleyway he had been dragged into."

That made several of the ninjas cringe. Anko looked like she was ready to kill, twirling the kunai in her hand faster and faster by the ring at its base as she stood at the other side of the doorway. Kurenai and Gai both looked impassive, but both of them had an air of agitation around the both of them. Asuma stood quietly near one of the windows, his cigarette in his mouth making a few cough around him.

Yuugao didn't move from where she stood at the shoulder of the Hokage.

"With that said, you are all dismissed." Sarutobi waved to them and all bowed or saluted before either walking from the room or using Shunshin. All but the Jounin sensei's and Iruka left the room, finally congregating around the Hokage's desk. Yuugao also remained at the shoulder of the Hokage until she was to be personally dismissed.

"That was a bit disappointing." Kakashi said as he reflexively reached for his holster and the little orange book hidden within.

"I am sorry to have failed you, Hokage-sama." Yuugao bowed, feeling as if she had personally failed the mission given to her.

"At least we know where we stand." Sarutobi sighed as he reached into his robe and pulled out his pipe. He shook his head sadly before lighting it and coaxing it to catch properly. "Yuugao, I am rescinding the order to kill the villagers. I would like nothing more than to make an example out of some people who cannot control their actions, but doing so would alienate them from the rest of the ninjas of Konoha, and that we cannot do."

"I'll do it." Anko offered with a sadistic smile, the kunai still spinning on the end of her finger.

"As tempting as that is, I have another problem that is Naruto related." Sarutobi replied, his brow furrowing.

"Did something else happen?" Kakashi asked as he released the book, closing the pouch. If his student had been hurt again, it might take even longer for the fabled demon container to recover and be a part of the team he had saved from going back to the academy.

"Only that he is living out on the street again." Sarutobi muttered, just loud enough for all of them to hear. "There isn't any place I can send him that won't kick him out after a month, no matter what I do."

The doors to the Hokage's room echoed with the sound of someone knocking on them before the Hokage's aid peeked into the room. "Excuse me for interrupting, Hokage-sama, but the council is requesting your presence."

Sarutobi sighed deeply before standing up. He walked around his desk before looking back at those still in the room with him. "I only wish there was more I could do for him. I just never imagined that being a Hokage would make me virtually useless to the people needing me the most."

* * *

**(Five Minutes After Naruto Left The Hospital)**

It was early. Her sensei had said to meet at training field nine to meet their partnered team for the month they were to be together, and she was still sleepy. All she had time for was to throw on the red Chinese styled dressed with the clan symbol of the white circle between her shoulders and on the flap at the base of the front of her dress. The black shorts underneath were about the only thing on her she had managed to slip on that were clean.

Unable to prepare herself to look pretty for Sasuke, she worried a little that the black haired boy would think she was ugly with her wide forehead. She was half tempted to move her hitai-ate from the top of her head and place it on the front instead, but decided that she could always blame Kakashi for this ridiculous order.

She walked into the training ground and heard an ear piercing shout that made her jump in fright for a moment before her eyes looked up at the gathered people. Before her eyes was a girl throwing several weapons at a training log, one boy practicing a very complex hand taijutsu with his headband sitting above his brow, and two people dressed the worst looking green spandex who were shouting to each other at the top of their lungs, though they stood next to each other.

If the green spandex wasn't enough, the matching haircuts, leg warmers, hitai-ate wrapped around their waist as if it was a belt made the younger of the two look like a carbon copy of the larger. The only major difference was the eyes of the younger clone, as they were more rounded and looked to belong on an owl instead of the face they were in.

"Gai sensei! One of Team 7 appears to have arrived!" The younger of the clones shouted, his arm raising above his head as if he were in school again and trying to answer the question on the board.

"YOSH! Let us gather together to introduce ourselves to the first member of Team Kakashi!" The larger of the two bellowed, gaining the attention of the other two students. Before he could begin, Sasuke came walking into the training area wearing his dark blue overcoat and white shorts. "It appears that the second part of Team Kakashi has arrived!"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out without thought as she whirled around to her partner.

The glower on the young Uchiha's face looked as if it had been chiseled in permanently. His hands firmly buried in his pockets, he walked in a threatening manner, glaring at everyone assembled. Coming to a stop near Sakura, he settled back onto his heels and took a good look over everyone before looking at Gai with anything but respect.

"Do you have anything _useful_ to teach me?" If that didn't practically ooze disdain, he didn't know what else would do it.

The boy who had been practicing his taijutsu up until Sakura arrived narrowed his pale irisless eyes at Sasuke. "That is hardly the way to be addressing your teammates."

Sasuke turned his black eyed gaze to the boy. He wore a cream colored coat that was fastened up to his chin, green shorts being the only other part of his clothing. His black hair was long, longer than even Sakura's, and his attitude was definitely one who looked down on others, not the one being looked down upon.

"You're not my teammate." Sasuke countered, hoping the boy tried something.

Before a confrontation could erupt from either of the boys, Naruto jumped down from a tree and looked back and forth between the two gathered squads. The arrival of Naruto broke the stalemate as Team Gai and Team 7 turned to look in surprise at the arrival of the blonde shinobi.

"It appears as if all of Team Kakashi has arrived, Gai sensei!" The green clad copy of the Jounin nearly shouted out again, a smile on his face.

"So it would appear." Gai frowned at the blonde boy as he walked over and stood beside Sakura, who had taken a step away from Naruto self consciously. "Are you sure you are up for our training? Last I had heard, you had been injured grievously and placed under watch in the hospital."

Naruto nodded to the green spandex clad teacher. "I was released a few minutes ago and rushed here for training."

Gai frowned deeper at this. He was about to speak when a cloud erupted behind Naruto and the form of Kakashi appeared.

"I'm going to allow Naruto's training." Kakashi spoke, his hands in his pockets that shouldn't have been on his ninja pants.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival!" Gai spread his legs and threw forward his best thumbs up, grinning brightly. His teeth audibly pinged as sunlight shined off of them. "I approve of your student's flames of youth and agree with you that he should be trained with the rest of my team. Would it be to much to ask to exchange introductions between them?"

Kakashi waved his hand in front of himself. "It would probably be best that they get to know each other's names, at least. They are going to be training with each other for the next month."

"Where have you been, Kakashi sensei?" Sakura pointed a finger at her tardy sensei.

Kakashi placed a hand at the back of his head and scrubbed lightly. "Sorry, I was helping a little old lady cross the street."

Sakura wanted to call him a liar, but she didn't know if that would make her team look even worse than they already were.

"Good morning, Tenten-san." Naruto's voice drew her attention to her blonde partner as he bowed shortly to the brown haired girl "It's nice to see you again."

The girl dressed in a light pink vest and dark green pants that were a little baggy on her stared at him with her chocolate brown eyes in confusion for a moment. Her hair was rolled into buns on her head and expertly pinned so that you couldn't tell how they were staying in buns, her hitai-ate tied firmly to her head just below her hairline. She eyed Naruto for a moment as he stood back up, showing her his face and the prominent whisker marks that decorated his cheeks before recognition crossed her eyes and she smiled.

"Well, well, if it isn't the blonde ghost." Tenten smiled at him before she rubbed his spiky head. "You got pretty big, didn't you? Though your choice in colors still sucks."

Naruto frowned as she rubbed his hair.

"Do you know him?" The long haired boy asked her, and she practically shivered when she realized she was being talked to by him.

"We went to the same orphanage together." Tenten smiled to her partner, sliding her hands behind her back and trying to look as cute as she could while tilting her head to the side.

"I see." The pale eyed boy looked at the blonde. "I am Neji Hyuga of the honorable Hyuga family. Not that you have the right to know that."

"Yosh!" The green boy shouted as he posed much like his sensei just did earlier. "I am the second coming of the green beast of Konoha, Rock Lee! It will be a pleasure to be able to train with you!" His teeth also made an audible pinging sound, though the tone was slightly lower that his sensei's.

Sakura had been a bit scared for the moment that the older, and more developed, girl would suddenly take an interest in her Sasuke-kun, but it appeared that she had her eyes on the stoic Hyuga. She sighed greatly before smiling and introducing herself. "I'm Haruno Sakura. Please be kind to me as I learn from all of you."

Naruto eyed Sasuke and Neji as they began to stare each other down again. "Uzumaki Naruto." He announced, not really sure if he was going to be liked enough for it to matter whether he was polite enough.

"That would make you Uchiha Sasuke." The Hyuga boy announced, veins around his eyes popping up as he began to stare a hole through Sasuke.

"And what if I am?" Sasuke retorted, unconcerned whether he was known by sight or reputation.

"I've heard it said that your skills with your ninjitsu are only exceeded by your ego." Neji flexed his fingers as he watched Sasuke's whole body go rigid at the offense.

"Yosh!" Gai shouted, breaking the moment of hostility once again. "Your team shines with youth, Kakashi. I am glad to have this chance for our teams to be together."

Gai looked over at the man he considered his eternal rival, hoping to get a reaction out of him, or at least a challenge. A sweat drop formed at the back of his head when he saw that Kakashi wasn't paying an iota of attention to what was going on around him, his orange book out and his eyes firmly stuck within.

"Did you say something, Gai?" Kakashi asked, without even looking up from his book.

"It is just like you, my eternal rival!" Gai shouted in outrage, pointing a finger at him as he took an exaggerated stance. "Always coming off with your overly cool and hip attitude! I demand a challenge this instant!"

Kakashi looked up with a barely concerned look on his face. "Not right now. Our students need our wisdom." Kakashi turned his eyes back into his book, going against the very thing he was speaking about. "Maybe later when they're properly trained."

"Of course, you are right, my eternal rival!" By now, sweatdrops had appeared on all but Kakashi, Gai, and Rock Lee's head at the antics of the Jounins. "It would be very un-youthful if we abandoned our students while we settled our personal rivalry!"

Kakashi flipped a page in his book, grunting.

"So, my youthful students! Let us begin to evaluate your skills!"

* * *

It was an hour later that had Rock Lee paired up with Sakura, much to her disgust. The eyebrows on the kid disturbed her in ways she couldn't begin to express, and the way he was looking at her just creeped her out. Sasuke had been paired with Neji, his skills were high enough to be a match to the young Hyuga, which gave them all the reason they needed to move straight into a taijutsu match.

Naruto had been paired with Tenten. His skills were lacking in taijutsu and his weapons skills barely could hit anything, unless he was standing completely still and a good wind happened to aid his weapons in hitting his targets.

"So, Naruto." Tenten said as she set him up across from one of the wooden logs. "Show me how you hold a kunai when you're getting ready to toss it."

Naruto reached into his weapon satchel on his leg and pulled a kunai out by the ring, flipping it up into his palm with a flick of the finger. He lifted his hand up in front of him as he held his throwing knife as if he meant to thrust it into someone or defend with it.

Tenten checked his hand grip and the way he had his feet placed before giving him a smile and nodding. "Well, seems like you've got it right, now go through the motions of throwing it, but don't release it. I want to see how you move when you throw."

Naruto turned toward the log as he took aim before reaching over his shoulder and leaning forward over his leg as he stepped forward, his body looking as if he was trying to throw the weapon through his target.

Tenten frowned before she came back over. "First off, you shouldn't put so much power behind your throws." She took a kunai into her own hand from her weapon's satchel, flicking the weapon at the log with just a wrist motion. "Your weapon is probably never going to be used to kill someone from long distance unless you take them by surprise, or you have deadly accuracy, like me. You should be using just enough force to hit your target, and increase the power behind it till your control and power match each other."

Naruto nodded to her as he turned back to the target, taking the weapon into his fingertips before looking at what he was doing. Tenten smiled at him, watching as he stumbled through learning how to throw, sparing a glance to her interest, Neji.

Neji was sparring heatedly with Sasuke, his clan fighting style, the Juuken, batting Sasuke's head on strikes and counter striking against his arms and legs while occasionally hitting his body from time to time. This was a boy she had come to love over the year she had been placed on this squad. Although he was from the branch house of the Hyuga clan, he struggled to be the best and develop his fighting skills to be the deadliest in history of the Hyuga clan.

The only real problem that made it hard for her to be with Neji was Neji himself.

"You cannot beat me, Uchiha." Neji disdainfully spoke as he batted another few strikes away from him. "My Byakugan can see your every move. Even if you used the Sharingan, you could never hit me."

"We'll see about that, Hyuga!" Sasuke snarled as he flipped over an open palm strike to his shoulder, trying to come down behind Neji to get a chance to strike him with more than a glancing blow. Neji pivoted in spot, bringing both hands up to his chest, palms outward, before striking Sasuke with both hands in a pushing motion, blasting him back from him.

Sasuke managed to stay on his feet as he slid backwards, though he held a hand up to his chest in pain. How the hell was he supposed to take down that arrogant jerk and prove the superiority of the Uchiha if he couldn't touch him? _"If only my sharingan was activated…"_

"TIME!" Gai called out, raising him hand in the air. Everyone came to a stop and looked over at the green spandex clad man, Sakura's eyebrow twitching from concentrated exposure to Lee's 'Flames of youth'. "We will now switch with the other team members, Sasuke to Lee, Sakura to Tenten, and Neji to Naruto!"

Naruto looked at the Kunai in his hand before launching it at the target, getting the outer ring for a change instead of missing. Smiling and bowing to Tenten, he turned and was beginning to head over to Neji when Kakashi looked up from his book at him.

"Naruto, come here for a moment." Kakashi called out to him, beckoning with his hand. All the students and even Gai stopped to look as Naruto walked over to his sensei before Kakashi leaned over and whispered something into the blonde Genin's ears. Naruto nodded a few times at whatever Kakashi was telling him, making Sasuke's eyes narrow in suspicion.

_"Why is Kakashi-sensei giving him preferential treatment? Is it because he's the Dobe of our group?"_ Sasuke wondered to himself as Kakashi stood back up.

"Do me proud, Naruto." Kakashi patted his student's shoulder as Naruto nodded, though he looked confused as he walked toward Neji. He even went so far as to put his little orange book away as he leaned back against the tree he had been standing against.

Sakura walked over to stand next to Tenten and Sasuke headed over to Lee before both turned back around and watched as Neji took the first stance of the Juuken against Naruto.

"Whatever advice your Sensei gave you, it will avail you little." Neji spoke confidently as the veins around his eyes began to stand out, the smirk on his face plain to everyone. "Fate has decreed that you will lose this fight even before it began."

Tenten shivered when she heard Neji speak that way. When their group had first been brought together, he had told Rock Lee that Fate could not be denied, and it had become the boy's personal mantra. As if Fate had become the personal hand of Kami, it was impossible to dissuade Neji once he had decided that Fate had already said it was impossible and shouldn't be tried.

Much like the attempts she had first tried to try to get Neji to relax and go out with her.

"I hope Naruto doesn't upset Neji too much." Tenten spoke softly to Sakura, getting the pinkette's attention.

"What makes you say that?" Sakura said as she glanced at the weapons mistress. "It's just a spar, isn't it?"

Tenten frowned as Naruto clenched his fists and raised them up in front of himself, obviously unused to fighting as his stance was nothing like what came out of the academy and more like how a person off the street fought. "Neji has a slight problem with holding back once Fate gets involved."

Naruto made the initial attack, charging in with an overhead haymaker that was batted aside and received a two finger thrust into his shoulder that burst with blue energy out the back of his shoulder on contact. He jumped back when his arm went numb and fell uselessly back against his body, his other hand coming up to his shoulder and gripping it tightly.

"Naruto." Kakashi called to him from where Gai had joined him. "Use it now if you want any hope of winning."

"What will he use that you think will be able to get past the all seeing eyes of the Hyuga, Kakashi?" Gai asked seriously as he peered at the fighters, Neji looking as if he was about to charge Naruto before he did anything that would invalidate his claim that Fate had already chosen a winner.

Naruto raised his hands in front of him weakly, the feeling on his left arm barely there as he carefully made the cross shaped seal in front of him. Neji's eyes narrowed as Naruto yelled out, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

A giant blast of smoke followed by a quick gust of wind revealed several Naruto's, though all of them were treating their left arm as if it was acting weird. Neji changed his stance, as he let his front leg out and leaned over top of it, one hand low and in front as the other raised behind him and into the air.

"Even with a duplicating jutsu, you cannot defeat me." Neji smirked before lunging into the crown of Naruto's his hands whipping out and using two fingered strikes to pop the Naruto's before they had a chance to defend themselves. When only one was left, Neji called out triumphantly, "It's finished!" His hand whipped out and struck several tenketsu spots on Naruto, only for his eyes to open up in shock as the last Naruto disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Neji stood completely still in the beginning stance of the Juuken, one hand held out in front of him and the other palm down to the ground near it, his legs balanced so that he could dodge or jump if needed. Using the powers of the Byakugan, he peered in every direction as fast as he could, his eyes able to see in a near three hundred and sixty degree circle around him.

_"It's impossible for him to have disappeared. The Byakugan can see through simple genjutsu that would normally trick the eye into slipping around them."_ Neji frantically thought to himself as his eyes detected nothing around him. _"Is it possible that he somehow ran away before I could strike?"_

Gai's eyebrow raised slightly as he glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. "You didn't tell him about the Ougi, did you?"

Lee and Sasuke watched carefully for any signs of the fight ending soon while both Sakura and Tenten looked around for Naruto, who had disappeared into thin air.

_"When did Naruto get this good?"_ Sakura thought to herself as she turned her eyes back to the stock still Hyuga.

_"Maybe Naruto does have some skills after all."_ Tenten thought as she watched Neji carefully, wondering if he would see the attack coming since he was stock still.

"Konohagakure Hiden; Taijutsu no Ougi!" Naruto's shout echoed around the area as Neji crouched, prepared for any taijutsu move that could come at him.

The arms that suddenly shot up from the ground took everyone, especially Neji, by surprise. Looking like hands clasped together with the pointer and middle fingers extended in a point, the 'seal of tiger' planted itself into the seat of Neji's pants from below.

"Sennen Goroshi!" Naruto shouted as he forced himself upward and out of the ground, launching Neji literally by the seat of his pants into the air and to a very unenjoyable collision with the earth via his face.

There was silence all around the area, though Neji's cursing about the sudden pain in his rear made the scene a bit more surreal before Naruto stood up straight and went to scratch at his head before stopping and looking disgustedly at his hand that almost touched his hair.

Sasuke's eyebrow was ticking away in annoyance while Rock Lee looked flabbergasted. Sakura and Tenten had matching looks on their faces, though for different reasons. Gai shook his head back and forth at the shame that was the hidden technique of Konoha, though Kakashi was eye smiling brightly.

"Good job, Naruto. A perfect technique." Kakashi called to him, clapping his hands at the show.

Naruto frowned at Kakashi. "I think I would have preferred to lose."

* * *

"Before we leave for the day, I have a question for all of you." Kurenai spoke to her Genin, who were all trying to catch their breath after the training, though Shino was doing a better job of standing than the other two. "If you haven't heard yet, Team 7 managed to pass their Genin test, though it was by a very slight margin. I have been asked by Hokage-sama if we would be willing to show Team 7 a bit more on the fundamentals of teamwork."

Hinata's breath hitched as she suddenly stood up, her breath held in anticipation as her fingers frantically pressed against each other. Although her eyes were averted to the side, the blush on her face was no longer that of exercise.

"It is highly strange for Hokage-sama to allow this." Shino commented in his barely audible tone, which was barely heard over Kiba's now manageable panting.

"I say we go for it." Kiba gasped one last time before standing back up to face his sensei. "Even if for nothing more than to prove who the best team is."

Kurenai's eyebrow hitched at Kiba's boasting, but she refrained from saying anything for now.

"E-excuse me, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata spoke hesitantly, drawing all eyes to her, which made her all the more nervous. "E-exactly, w-what would we b-be d-doing to sh-show teamwork?"

Kurenai eyed Hinata for a moment before she thought to herself. "Well, depending on what their Jounin sensei and I agree to, we may be pairing our two teams together to spar each other, just for starters. After that, I would imagine that we would set up various training scenarios and setting both teams off together to see if you can complete them."

"Sounds perfect to me." Kiba said as he picked Akamaru up and placed him on his head. "Me and Akamaru will beat the tar outta their team, right Akamaru?"

"Including the girl, Kiba?" Kurenai asked him, watching him becoming flustered for a moment before sighing at him.

"How will this affect our normal team activities?" Shino asked, mouth still hidden behind his long coat with raised collar, his eyes covered by the small black glasses on his face. His black hair shifted with a stray breeze blew across them, making them all shiver when the heat from their work out was taken off of them for the moment.

"For one month, we will be exempt from doing any missions." Both of Shino's eyebrows pointed up at the ends of his glasses as he frowned. Even Kiba looked to be a bit miffed at missing missions since they had not gone on their first one yet. "However, if we think that your teamwork has gotten high enough, we may allow both teams to do missions, or we may even take a break from having our teams together to do missions."

"_I might be teamed up with Naruto-kun for a whole month._" Hinata thought to herself as she imagined the time they would spend together, being in the same training grounds as her blonde role model. He had saved her so long ago, did he even remember?

"Yes." Hinata blurted as the bangs held up behind her ears swung free, framing her face with her dark hair. Everyone turned surprised eyes to Hinata who usually never spoke out, or for that fact, blurted out random words. "I mean..." she realized that she had snapped out of a dream and spoken on reflex, "I wouldn't mind if we trained with them."

"It would appear, as illogical as it sounds, that we will be partnering with Team 7." Shino sighed, resigned to his team's illogical actions. "When will they be joining us?" He directed at Kurenai, who fought to hide a smile.

"After they are done training with Team Gai, a Genin team with more experience than ours as they have been together longer." Kurenai answered. "Once I inform Hokage-sama of our decision, I will let you know when they will be available to join us in our training. Until then, you are dismissed for the day, but rest up. Tomorrow, we will take our first D Ranked Mission."

* * *

"Of course we want to team up with Sasuke-Kun!" The shouted order from their blonde teammate made even the Jounin in charge of the squad wince as his eardrums were suddenly blown out. Asuma scratched at the short hair that was his beard as he eyed the responses of the other two members.

Shikamaru laid exactly where he had been for the last hour, his eyes closed as the cloud cover had dissipated and , in his own words, "It's too troublesome to look for more." He had frowned the moment that Ino had voiced her unanimous opinion for her team, whether they had voted or not. There wouldn't be any trouble coming from the nara boy, he was his family through and through.

Chouji was busy eating away at the pork rinds he had brought with him, the bag nearly empty by now, though watching him go through a family sized bag by himself had been a strange and slightly disgusting to watch.

Only Ino, who had been busy working on her taijutsu until the moment where he had dropped the bomb about practicing with Team 7 for a month, had reacted at all to anything going on around them. She held her hands up in front of her, fists clenched protectively in front of her as if she was waiting any moment to start cheering at was sure to be a reason to start celebrating.

"It's not just Uchiha Sasuke we'll be working with, but all of Team 7." Asuma stated, making it plain for the girl. "That includes Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

Chouji mumbled briefly before swallowing what was in his mouth, taking a moment to say, "Naruto's not all that bad." before cramming a handful of pork rinds into his mouth.

"He's not that troublesome." Shikamaru yawned before doing his best to pretend he was a log once again.

Ino stared at Chouji, the bottomless stomach first before turning her disbelieving eyes toward Shikamaru 'Troublesome' Nara. "Who are you guys and where are the real ones?" Ino questioned them.

"That's pretty mean, Ino." Mumbled Chouji around his mouthful of food.

"In Any Event." Asuma spoke up over all of them. "No one has a problem with them being with us for a month? You're absolutely sure?" He did not want to have to deal with another team, let alone Kakashi's team.

"What could be the harm in having them practicing with us?" Ino asked as she shrugged dramaticly. "At least I'd have someone to practice with."

"It's too troublesome to practice with you, Ino." Shikamaru waved dismissively from the ground.

"There, ya see?" Ino shouted as she pointed down at Shikamaru. "I need someone to train with, anyone has got to be better than Mr. Apathetic right there!"

"And what about Chouji?" Asuma offered, putting out the stub of a cigarette in his mouth and reaching for a new one from his vest.

Ino stared at him for a second before turning to look at Chouji. "Hey Chouji, wanna practice?"

Chouji grunted a few times as he chewed, before he swallowed and said, "As soon as I finish eating, Ino."

Asuma smiled happily as Ino asked back to Chouji, "And when will that be?"

Chouji grunted once or twice before he finished the bag off, already reaching over and opening the next family sized bag of food. "Um...tomorrow?"

Asuma sighed, covering his eyes with his hand as he leaned his head back.

* * *

Naruto was just sitting down to his first bowl of Ramen from Ichiraku Ramen when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and spin him. His hand reached in a flash and dived into his weapon satchel for a kunai as someone sat down in his lap and pulled his face up against a new covered body with a trench coat covering.

"I missed you so much, Gaki." Anko crooned as she ran her hands through the golden locks of Naruto's hair. "For too long our love has gone on unrequited, but now we are together again, at last!"

"Um..." The sound of Ayame spoke as she watched the scene of the older woman trying to force feed her chest with Naruto's head. "Can I ... take your order?"

Anko looked over at the waitress before smiling deviously and holding one finger up in the girl's face. "One Naruto to go, and make it hot and messy!" She wiggled herself on Naruto's lap, for her own sick pleasure or just to make fun of his name a little bit more. It could have also been the look on Ayame's face that looked scandalized and slightly sawed off at the same time.

The grin she had on her face was wiped away quickly when she shouted in shock and a bit of pain as she jumped away from Naruto. He wiped his mouth and spit out a piece of netting from his mouth before he got up and jumped for the nearest awning, bouncing upward to the rooftops before running off.

"Damn it, Gaki! Those are not meat buns!" Anko shouted before she jumped onto the roofs and after the fleeing Naruto.

Naruto wasn't going to wait for her to catch up to him again. He had been nearly suffocated as she kept him pressed against her body and wasn't sure if she was trying to ff him or what. It wasn't exactly a bad thing to have been pinned up against her, at least, it didn't feel bad. It would have been a lot better if she had allowed him to come up for air, however.

**"Aw, isn't that cute?"** Kyuubi spoke in the back of his head as he fled for his life across the rooftops. **"The snake has a thing for you. You draw all sorts of crazy's to you, you know that?"**

Naruto launched himself down into an alleyway he was just about to pass over when he felt something coming at him from behind. His sudden change in direction prevented him from being captured in the serpents that had been reaching for him from Anko's arm sleeves. He didn't wait to hit the street below as he began to bounce downward against the walls back and forth until he was ground level at the mouth of the alley.

"You're not gonna get away from me this time!" Anko cackled as she leaped to the street after him, forcing him to run to his left.

**"How far do you think you can flee from her?"** Kyuubi hissed in his mind before cackling at his distress. **"You were barely able to keep up with that silver haired, one eyed rooster. What makes you think you can escape her?"**

She had chased him all the way out near a fenced off forest before help arrived in the form of one cat masked ANBU woman in black ninja pants, gray chest plate, and light purple hair. "Cease and Desist, Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko!" The cat masked ANBU cried as she reached for the sword held over her shoulder. "Uzumaki Naruto is not to come to harm by yours or anyone else's hand!"

Both Naruto and Anko slid to a halt as Anko grabbed hold of her coat and held it open. "He bit me on my..."

"I know exactly where he bit you, it was in self defense, and for Kami's sake, get some modesty!" The cat masked ANBU woman ordered as she shifted in place, unnerved by anko's brazen ways.

"You're just jealous that I've got more to offer in my youth than you do in your old age." Anko turned her back on her, crossing her arms and huffing.

"Who in the hell are you calling old?" Yuugao growled with a lot of killer intent rolling off of her and aimed at the back of the Mitarashi Anko.

"There's nothing to get upset about." Anko seemed to have crossed the distance between her and Yuugao instantly as she patted the cat masked woman on the shoulder, trying to console her. "I'm sure you'll find some ugly civilian that won't mind you being a tad under developed in the big girls department and more muscular than Maito Gai."

**"Kit."** Kyuubi spoke calmly for the first time ever in Naruto's recollection. **"If you value your life, run away now." **He jumped over the fence and disappeared into the woods as the first Jutsu was shouted.

Yuugao snagged Anko's coat in one hand and flung her over her shoulder, tossing her bodily away before her hands blurred through several seals. **"****Ninpo: Kaze no Yaiba!"**

Anko flipped over to her feet, stopping on her own set of handseals as she landed from the air. **"Doton: Doryuu Taiga!"**

Yuugao was forced into the air as Anko's jutsu turned the ground into a mud pit, nearly catching her legs and making her unable to move. Unfortunately, Anko's follow up attack did catch her while she was in the air.

**"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"** The wind jutsu blew at Yuugao, forcing her to break her concentration on her own wind jutsu around her hands as she was blown back into the fence surrounding the forest. "Now be a good old lady and beat it. I got a gaki to punish."

The masked ANBU looked up briefly from where she slumped before making a hand sign and dispelling herself into a cloud of smoke. Anko whirled around and caught the wrist of the wind imbued hand that had nearly cut her from behind, preventing Yuugao from striking. The sudden kick Yuugao delivered to Anko's stomach forced her to give up her grip and pushed her back to make room for a new strike.

She didn't get a chance as Anko threw her arms forward with a cry of **"Senei Jashu!"** Snakes whipped out from Anko's sleeves, wrapping around Yuugao before squeezing her in their coils. Yuugao disappeared quickly from their hold, leaving behind a log in her place that the snakes quickly turned into pieces.

**"Katon: Karyuudan!"** Anko had just moments before her mud she had turned the ground into came back at her with an extra coat of fire attached to it. Weaving around the firey projectiles took all the skill and dexterity she had, though her coat came out slightly singed from the near misses.

"What in the Hokage's name is going on around here?!" A voice shouted out at them, causing them to falter in the hands signs they were both about to finish, both of them locking into the handsign for a fire jutsu. Yuugao and Anko looked over at the faces of Kurenai, Kakashi and Maito Gai.

"Care to explain what you're both doing?" Kakashi drawled as he leaned back against the fence that led into the large forest beyond.

"She tried to prevent me from watching over Naruto." Anko pointed at the masked ANBU with a flat look

"You were chasing him all over the village when I caught up to the both of you!" Yuugao shouted, throwing decorum out the window.

"He bit me, or would you like another look?" Anko went to open up her trench coat again, unconcerned with who would be looking at her now.

Yuugao reached for her sword, a shout of outrage blasting from her until Kakashi placed his hand on her wrist and prevented her from drawing her weapon. "I don't think you two have time to go a second round." Looking up, he drew the eyes of Anko and Yuugao to the bird circling overhead.

Yuugao hitched and shunshined away under Kakashi's hand while Anko cursed darkly her luck. Closing her coat around her, Kurenai came up next to her and gave her an exasperated look. "Did you really flash her your...?"

Anko smiled brightly. "It definitely got a rise out of her. I could show you later, if you wanted..." Anko's voice slipped into seductive as she tried to lean up against her friend.

Kurenai stepped back, making Anko stumble when there was nothing to lean against. "Just hurry up and go see Lord Hokage. Hopefully, he didn't see everything that happened here."

Anko huffed before turning towards hokage tower in the distance. "What's the worst Hokage-sama could do? Make me do D ranked mission?"

* * *

"Denied." The third said from behind his desk to the two women standing before him, Yuugao's face still hidden behind her mask and unreadable while a frustrated grimace graced Anko's. "If that is how your going to act around Naruto, I can't permit Naruto to live with you."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Anko bit off as if the decree left a bad flavor in her mouth.

"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with the both of you? You're supposed to be watching over him, not trying to kill each other." Hokage said in a disappointed manner. He looked at the both of them as they seemed to slump in dejection a bit more at the tongue lashing he was giving them.

"I have no excuse for myself, Hokage-sama." Yuugao spoke from behind her mask, shame gracing each word.

"You were both doing your duties in your own eyes, albeit, your views on how one should protect Naruto are a bit misplaced." Sarutobi muttered around his pipe stem as he looked between the loyal ANBU and the 'traitor' snake user. "You now both know that you two have been directed by me that you are to protect Naruto and for that, there won't be any additional punishment." Both of them seemed to stand up straighter, but he still had to make things clear. "I am, however, ordering both of you to be nice with each other."

Both stiffened as they glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. "Yuugao, I am asking you to control yourself with your partner," Yuugao literally vibrated as she stiffly came to attention, "Anko's ways are not your own and I am sure that she would not ever bring harm to Naruto, either unintentional or directly."

"Anko," The snake user turned her smirk from Yuugao and faced forward to Hokage-sama, "Naruto has been through almost as much as you have, and in a few instances, has lived much harder since your return to Konoha." Anko's smirk dropped into a frown. "I know you want him to enjoy life a little, but he is not ready for the kind of 'play' you bring to people. Tone down your way of playing with him until he is ready, for me?"

Yuugao watched Anko as she deflated visibly before muttering a weak "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi nodded as he picked up papers before him and tapped them lightly in front of himself, straightening them out. "I will evaluate your performances in one month's time, and if I see that you _can_ work together without trying to tear each other apart, I will reconsider my decision to have Naruto live with you."

Anko smiled brightly at the turn of events, having a second chance to have her favorite gaki live in the same house as her.

Making sure he had their eyes, the Hokage nodded to the both of them. "You are dismissed."

* * *

He huddled down on a small burrow at one of the bases to the large trees in the forest. No one came out into this place, unless they were training, and even then, they didn't come very often. It was his hidden refuge from the village, when he could sneak in to here. They called it training ground 44, he called it sanctuary.

Naruto listened to nature outside his hiding place, watching as the huge snake patrolled around his spot once again, looking for the scent of prey once more as it moved on in its circuit. Everything was much larger in this place, the bugs, the serpents, even the plants who had a tendency of capturing and devouring their own prey were ten times larger than what he had seen outside in the village.

**"I could learn to like it here."** Kyuubi purred in the back of his head as it shifted back and forth, watching out the eyes of its container. **"Even I could hide in a place this large"**

Naruto's nose scented at the grass as it started to develop dew. He could smell the snake moving off, he could hear the sounds of scuttling as some of the giant centipede's crawled away from the ground and from immediate death. The place was alive with the sounds and smells of all sorts of animals and plants, and Naruto never felt safer.

**"Tomorrow, you will begin to train."** Kyuubi growled in the back of his head. **"I could let you die and I could be done with you so much faster, which would please me immensely. However, if it were to be found out by the other Biju that my container died with his throat slit by some common meat puppet simply because you were unaware of them, I would have to give up my power."**

Naruto frowned, but he remained silent as he closed his eyes and curled up into a ball.

**"Yes, I will have to train you, force you to learn how to kill."** The Kyuubi licked its muzzle as it settled itself down as its host started to slip into sleep. **"We will kill until the world flows red with the lifeblood of everything, tearing the world asunder with Our power as we let our inner instincts flow outward. The weak shall die from our mere presence, and the strong shall be our food."**

Naruto shivered as the demon inside of him continued on as his consciousness slipped further away, the world of the waking being left behind for the world of dreams.

**"The world will never forget me, Kyuubi no Youko, and they will come to fear you, Uzumaki Naruto, incarnation of my anger."**

* * *

She returned home to her apartment, locking the door before bracing it before heading inside the house. Walking from the foyer into the hallway, she brushed her hands over the well hidden weapons adorning each side before walking into the living room and eyeing her treasure trove of throwing weapons, pole arms, one and two handed swords, and other types that didn't fit in those catagories.

Some would say she had an obsession with weapons, she considered it as being well protected. She was a single kunoichi living on her own, after all. Having a sensei like Maito Gai tended to give you an extreme for one thing or another, hers was just in weapons.

She removed the pins in the buns on her head and shook it out slowly, loosening them with her fingers as she worked out the knots that were sure to be hell getting out later. Tenten looked around once more and thought with pride how she had managed to get this place with her own pay and even got the part time job at the weapon shop right down the street, most of the stuff she had in her place had come from there.

Heading into the kitchen, she removed leftovers from yesterday out of the small fridge she had and snacked on them before removing the three scrolls she had carried with her in her weapons pouch. The store owner had given them to her for her to go over for herself, something about storage scrolls and the seals needed to place weapons in them. They weren't supposed to be exactly detailed with information on the proper seals or even be practice scrolls for the weapons since villagers didn't normally sell those kinds of things, but they were supposed to be examples of how they were supposed to work from those who could make them.

She was a bit distracted as she finished off some of the food from yesterday, looking over to the doorway leading back into the hall, most specifically the archway. Pinned there, with the kunai point down, was a wooden kunai from when she had been younger. It was the only one she had left of her set, the one he had brought back to her.

She wondered about him for a moment, he didn't seem all that different from the orphanage. A bit clumsy at times and very quiet, which had earned him the name Blonde Ghost, but when his eyes were not squinting they were so clear, a blue that could be compared with the sky. Neji's pale eyes could be that clear sometimes, but his were shadowed with his resentment for the main house of the Hyuga.

He would never talk about it, but he had mentioned it last year when they had introduced themselves to each other, back when she had her crush on him. She wanted to laugh at that time in particualr, but it felt so sad now to think that she had been that innocent. Kinda like that pink haired girl, Sakura.

She could see the adoration the girl had for the last Uchiha, made her teeth ache slightly. She had some talent in being a ninja, but it was definitely being hindered by her desire to please the raven haired boy. He was definitely like Neji, except his eyes didn't feel as merciful as her teammates. She got the feeling that there was something in him that had a hold of him and wouldn't let go, like an old wound that had festered and was in danger of rotting away the entire body.

She cleaned up after herself absently, placing the plate in the sink and headed to her bedroom where she would set her clothes out for tomorrow and get her shower before going to bed. Being a part of a two team squad was definitely going to make her even more busy than she was going to be used to, but at least the chances of seeing 'that' genjutsu were less with them around.

* * *

The rapid fire beating echoing from the dead household reverberated in the air. The sun was going down, but he wouldn't stop, couldn't stop. His vengeance would not be built on tiredness, cannot be built on weakness, and shall not _ever_ be built on fear. His fists beat a staccato rhythm on the training log as he practiced his family's taijutsu style.

The thoughts from that day played out in his head as the dark memories flashed by. He was only a child, a kid who should have never been left alone, and the Uchiha were the pride of Konoha, the military police of a hidden village. The eyes of the Sharingan, the Uchiha bloodline, blessed unto them by Kami himself made them the elite. No jutsu could hide it's secrets from an Uchiha, who could memorize the hand signs instantaneously.

They were as Gods amongst mortals who wallowed through their days where they judged and punished all those who could only dream of the greatness that was the Uchiha. Until Itachi changed it all in a single night of madness. Bearing eyes cursed by Kami and blessed by the devil itself, he razed the grounds of the Uchiha singlehandedly, killing everyone who had the Sharingan bloodline, activated or not.

The prodigy brother, Itachi flew through the ranks at an unheard of level of skill, graduating the academy and the ridiculous age of seven. They preened as their prodigy rose in status to Chuunin at the age of ten and they couldn't wait to crow in the faces of the council when he became the leader of his own ANBU squad at the age of thirteen. They weren't crowing for very long when their throats had been ripped out by his betrayal, starting with the murder of his best friend, Shisui.

They could only suspect at that point in time, but it was too late after wards when a week later the entire clan was wiped out by HIM. He found him over the body of their parents, his bloody sword still in his hand as it dripped the precious life fluid from it as Itachi turned his three tomoe eyes to him. Struck with terror at the emotionless face of his only brother, Sasuke openly wept at the nightmare playing out in front of him.

"Are you sad, ototo?" Itachi spoke to him, his voice dry as death, making Sasuke shiver. "You shouldn't be sad for them. They were weak, as were the rest of them that stood before me."

Itachi walked slowly over to him as he felt back off his feet, trying to crawl backwards from his elder brother. Itachi stopped in front of Sasuke as the boy's back hit the corner of the room and he raised his sword in front of him, placing the tip in front of his eye.

"Foolish little ototo..." Itachi said as he peered down at him, contemplating the child's fate before taking his blade away from him. His eyes warped into something other than the Sharingan and snared Sasuke with their power, trasfixing his mind with their power. "You can't kill me..." He sounded almost disappointed at him as he spoke. "Your hate isn't nearly strong enough... You're not strong enough..."

It was as if Itachi's face was suddenly thrust into his own as his eyes sucked in all of Sasuke's awareness. "Go, flee, and run far away, little ototo..." His voice practically oozes disdain for him as the poor boy's mind started to break. "Live your life in an unsightly way, and never come for me..."

**"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!!"** Sasuke screamed as he blew out a grand fireball that turned the training log into ash on contact, scouring it's existence away with heat and light. He would find a way, find some power that would grant him the necessary strength to kill Itachi. His bloodline be damned, he would take his brother to hell and the Sharingan with it if he must, he would see him dead!

Even if he had to kill his teammates to do it...

* * *

**Mwa ha ha ha ha!! Finished at last, Finished at last, Thank Kami Almighty, I am Finished...at last. At least, this chapter is finished. With no expected plans for moving happening again, I can work on another chapter immediately, but first, I must re-read all reviews from the last two chapters. I noted that a few of you gave your preferences for relationships and I did introduce some women that normally didn't have any contact with Naruto in the normal storyline, but I can do that, I'm the writer. It doesn't mean I'm going to stick them together later, I'm just letting you know, there's life outside of the Genin Dozen.**

**Also, when Anko says she wants a sloppy Naruto, it was a play on words, don't naturally assume she's rape a twelve year old. She might, but don't just assume...**


	6. Friendship

**The Biscuit has arrived! (dances around as if I were Jiraiya, only on a biscuit the size of a Kodiak Bear) I actually hurried this chapter up for someone, normally I would write a Ranma chapter first before finishing this up, but I thought I'd do everyone a favor and let you hate me sooner than later.**

**I've seen a few reviews of what people are looking for and what they're not looking for and I have to say that this story really just staring out. There won't be any immediate kissing, petting, 'OH, GOD! YES!' any time soon, unless Kakashi finally decides to come out of the closet and admit that his little orange book is an addiction and that he needs to seek therapy.**

**Disclaimer: Any similarities to people alive or dead is strictly coincidental. Viewer Discretion is advised**.

**G.B.: Roll Film! ACTION!!**

* * *

"Blah" talking in all its nuances

_"Blah"_ Thinking in all its Intricacies

**"BLAH"** Inner persona dialogue/Kyuubi Complaining

**"BLAH NO JUTSU!!"** Verbal Jutsu casting

* * *

**(Three days after joining Team Gai)**

Running was something he was good at.

He had run from mobs of people when he was younger. He had run from ninjas who were tracking him down for his earlier attempts at pranks before being 'discouraged' from pranking. He had run more in his young life than most children did at play, which is why he was as good as he was.

Running with weights on his legs was a little annoying, but at least the leg warmers didn't have to be worn around them.

Naruto ran behind Team Gai, his own teammates doing their very best to keep up, though it was obvious that they were straining to match the ridiculous pace Team Gai was setting. Sasuke scowled as he breathed, staring a burning hole into the back of Naruto's back while Sakura panted and dripped with sweat, her limits reached and passed some time ago. She wasn't about to give up, though. Sasuke-kun might not like her if she couldn't manage to keep up with him or fall too far behind.

As they rounded the outer wall of the city for the tenth time, the sight of Kakashi slowed the pace of the runners until they came to a stop before him, Naruto breathing heavily with a light sheen of sweat on his face while Sasuke stumbled to a stop and Sakura collapsed unceremoniously onto her stomach.

"I see Gai has you getting your stamina up." Kakashi eye smiled to them, though he received a hostile look from Sasuke and a groan from Sakura.

Sakura rolled onto her back and took a few good deep breaths before speaking. "Where the hell have you been, Kakashi sensei?" This training was hell on earth. How could Gai's team manage to do this everyday and not be out of breath?

Kakashi scratched at his cheek with the eye smile still on his face. "I had a few things I had to take care of before coming here, Jounin stuff."

"Yosh! Good work, my youthful students!" Gai shouted as he appeared out of nowhere to pose in a ridiculous stance. Naruto had seen a lot of those stances in the three day time that they had been teamed with Team Gai, they didn't bother him too much, but they did make the fox inside of him shout in disgust. "Your warm up is now over, I will see all of you on our training ground in five minutes. If you are late, you will have to do 100 crunches!"

"I'm going to take my students for the day and evaluate their skills, Gai." Kakashi interrupted the 'youthful' cheering of his associate.

Gai calmed down as he crossed his arms in front of himself and examined Team 7 before looking at Kakashi. "They haven't learned a lot in only three days, Kakashi."

"I understand that, but it appears that we aren't going to have the full month we thought we were going to have." Kakashi spoke darkly, his one eye peering unhappily at Gai.

Gai frowned at Kakashi, his youthful overtones severely dampened by what he was being told. "The council?" Gai questioned, receiving a nod from Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama will be calling us later today after the council is done meeting." Kakashi said as he turned away, waving over his shoulder as he walked away without looking back.

Gai frowned at his 'hip' rival as he walked away, before turning to the teams. "I guess we will be saying goodbye for now." His voice didn't hold the fiery passion he normally held as he frowned at Team 7. "It was a pleasure to teach you, my cool and hip rival's team. We will have to join together once more to learn more so that our flames of youth burn brighter than even the very stars above."

Neji frowned as he eyed Naruto, the veins around his eyes vaguely raised, though he had never activated the Byakugan. Sniffing and turning his head from him, he headed off after his Sensei. Lee bowed to all of Team 7 respectively, wishing all of them the best before turning and sprinting ahead of his team toward their training grounds.

"Hey, Sakura, you gonna be alright?" Tenten asked from where she stood, watching as the pink haired girl panted for air. She had come to like the pink haired girl, though she expected a lot more out of her. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to broach the subject of being 'in love' with her teammate, Sasuke.

Sakura sat up slowly with a groan before smiling to the elder kunoichi. "Thanks Ten-chan, I'll be alright in a moment."

Tenten frowned at Sakura as she watched her unhitch the leg bands from her shins before she rubbed her skin, a whine from her lips about her skin being all red being the only complaint she had given so far. "You should probably ask for some help, that's what your team is for, ya know."

She wanted to groan in pain, or maybe at the advice, but she stifled it when she realized that she could get Sasuke to help her to their training ground. She could actually have a legitimate reason to have his arms around her, to have his body against hers, maybe he'd even go so far as to carry her on his back. Inner Sakura was waving flags and shouting in excitement at the possibilities.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted happily, only for the sudden smile to drop a little when she realized that he had left both her and Naruto there. Naruto looked around for their teammate, frowning when he realized that they had been left behind by the other half of their team.

Tenten nudged Naruto in the arm, getting his attention. Leaning down to whisper in his ear while watching Sakura begin to sulk, she gave him a quick instruction before waiting for him to take some initiative. He stared at her for a bit, his emotions hidden behind his squinty eyed look before he looked toward Sakura. Tenten pushed his shoulder, forcing him to step toward Sakura before looking back at Tenten for forcing him to get Sakura's attention.

"Um, Sakura..." Naruto started, scratching the back of his head as he tried to duck his head. "Would you like some help?"

Sakura looked up at Naruto for a moment before sighing greatly. **"Great, the only one who wants to help us is the creepy teammate." **Inner Sakura hated life right at that moment, Sakura had to agree.

"It's not that I don't want help, Naruto..." Sakura openly shuddered, just imagining having to touch him, "It's just..." Who was she kidding? There wasn't any kind of excuse that wouldn't sound like she was trying to get out of having to get _his_ help.

Naruto frowned at Sakura before looking at Tenten, who was frowning for her own reasons. She shrugged to Naruto before waving quietly to him and turned off toward her team's training ground, unable to wait any longer. Hopefully, Naruto would be able to do something for her.

Naruto watched her struggle to her feet slowly before making a decision. "Hey, Sakura, could you hold on for a second? I'll go get you some help."

Heading off quickly around a corner, he left Sakura with a confused look. _"Maybe I should have taken up his offer. It would be totally embarrassing to have him bring someone else to look at me."_

Making sure he was out of Sakura's sight, Naruto formed a cross shaped seal with his hands and focused hard. Within a second and a softly muttered, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."** Naruto form a clone of himself.

He frowned at his clone as his clone frowned back at him before placing his hands in the ram seal and concentrated as hard as he could, trying to channel the smallest amount of chakra he could at his clone. **"Henge!" **Naruto muttered darkly as he tried to control his chakra tightly, forcing the image in his mind on top of his shadow clone. The brief spike of red chakra that flashed through Naruto's awareness made him groan in frustration as the cloud of smoke from the henge blew away realizing his wasted attempt.

Sasuke stood in front of him, his shadow clone at least facially looking like the boy that rubbed him the wrong way, everything after that was totally off. The boy's hair was bright yellow instead of jet black and his clothing was the standard raised collar and shorts, though the color was bright, eye offending orange. If that didn't add insult to injury, the henge'd face bore his trademark whisker marks on his cheeks, though for some reason, they looked a little deeper than what his own were.

**"Now he looks appropriately idiotic, just like you."** The deep swelling voice in his head made him growl slightly as the Kyuubi laughed uproariously.

Naruto slapped his hands back together, making the Ram seal once again and biting off **"Henge!"**. The cloud of smoke obscured his clone briefly before an almost perfect Sasuke looked back at him, though his oversized shirt was a slightly different blue than the raven haired boy wore.

Nodding as his disguised clone looked itself over, he motioned for it to follow him back out into the street where Sakura had managed to get herself over to one of the stone benches. Sakura was more tired than she wanted to admit, the jog around town always left her tired, and today was the first time to do it with weights on her legs. She swore the green jumpsuit clad Jounin was trying to kill her off with those orange colored leg warmers.

"Sakura, I was able to find Sasuke." Naruto drew her attention at the name of the girl's interest was presented to her. "We have to hurry, Kakashi was a bit disappointed that I needed to get him."

Sakura nearly squealed at the concern the raven eyed boy was showing her at that moment before he kneeled down with his back presented to her. Looking over at her over his shoulder, he was compelling her to get on. She slid off of the bench and nearly flopped into Sasuke, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he stood up with a little effort. Once she was situated, Naruto and 'Sasuke' made their way after the other half of Team 7, Sakura falling asleep on the disguised clone's back in happiness.

* * *

"This preferential treatment for the demon container cannot be allowed any longer, Sarutobi." Danzou sneered down at the Hokage during the meeting in progress. Many of the heads of the village, the current heads of council for the city and a few of the heads of the ninja families nodded with their displeasure. "If it's not able to take care of itself within our village, then maybe it should go off and die and leave the rest of us in peace!"

"It's a waste of resources to have an ANBU and the snake traitor watching over it, though I can see why you would place _her_ on that task." Homura spoke up, getting a few voices to speak up with him in agreement at what that represented, that being lack of money coming in to line their pockets.

"He needs to be thrown from the village for humiliating the Hyuga as he did!" Hiashi shouted, his Byakugan on as the veins around his eyes lended him a new level of intimidation.

"ENOUGH!" Bellowed the Third, bringing a deafening silence as he hotly glared at anyone who looked like they had two more cents to add. "So let me understand the situation." He eyed each of them one at a time, "I'm to understand that, as far as the village council is concerned, as long as they are safe and protected that any ninja within the village proper can be murdered in the street?" Danzou looked like he wanted to chew his tongue off as Sarutobi continued, changing his focus to his previous teammate. "It's a waste of resources to try and find out who did it by watching one of the village's ninjas to see if he will draw out an attacker that, for some reason, the village ANBU can't seem to find on their own?"

Hiashi went to speak on the heels of the Third when the Professor raised his hand and forestalled him. "I won't even begin to consider your request, Hiashi. I know for a fact that the incident in question your speaking about was a training exercise with his teammates, and I would suggest you to teach your branch members more of the main house Jyuuken before you complain about disgrace."

Tsume grinned in a very feral way whereas Haruno Sayuri sat back confidently in her chair. Shikaku Nara and Akimichi Chouza seemed to sit a little straighter in their chairs as the Sandaime asserted himself. Aburame Shibi, head of the Aburame clan, raised his eyebrows ever so slightly behind his glasses whereas Yamanaka Inoichi openly snickered.

Sandaime Hokage adjusted his 'official' hat, the branded fire kanji prominent on the front in blazing red as he eyed the council carefully. "I'm going to make myself absolutely clear to this council since we are being forced to deal with each other and not many of you seem to realize what is and is not within your powers." He eyed Danzou's form, the bandages draped over his right eye and his sleeveless right side pinned to him. "The village council is to take care of the workings and goings on of all things in the village pertaining to business and commerce. All business brought in through outside missions or the policing of the village to prevent crime is to be delegated to the Hokage of the ninja forces, including trade agreements with outside villages to peace accords. Uzumaki Naruto is a ninja of this village, he was attacked inside of what is still my village, and I will take any and all attacks against my ninja as an attack against Konoha!"

Almost everyone on the village council shifted in their seats at the words from the Hokage, only Homura, Hiashi, Danzou and Koharu, the last member of Sarutobi's ex team, managed not to feel too uncomfortable under the gaze.

"Any force that would attack one of our own is an enemy of Konoha and shall be treated as such." Sandaime finished firmly, giving everyone equally his ire. "They will be handed to Morino Ibiki for questioning, and then silenced, end of discussion."

"If that is the way you wish to manage the village's defenses," Danzou spoke carefully, making sure to make the statement sound very questionable, "how is the training of Team 7 and, most importantly, Uchiha Sasuke coming along?"

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the insolence of Danzou, openly daring him to reprimand him after he had just been told that it was not his business to deal with any ninja. "Team 7 has only had three days of training with their interim teammates. I would doubt in the very least if they have had much time but to train their skills, which is not what they were put together for in the first place, or do you not seem to remember that I ordered Team 7 to be placed together with other teams to teach them the basics of teamwork?"

"Even so, they must be trained in conjunction with their arts to develop into strong ninja." Danzou continued, treading very dangerous ground. "It has come to my attention that they are currently training with Maito Gai, a respected, if limited, teacher. To force them to learn strictly taijutsu from the man may stick in their minds that taijutsu is more dominant than any other style of combat, leaving them in a very dangerous position when forced to fight in a style not that of the fist."

Several mutters of approval and head nodding made Sarutobi grind his teeth before he cleared his throat one last time, drawing everyone back into silence. "Uchiha Sasuke is also being trained by Hatake Kakashi, the only other weilder of the Sharingan. It is his primary duty to ensure that his team is prepared to take on any mission." Danzou couldn't say anything about that, though he gave off a look of mild irritation before concealing it. "Since this council wishes to consider the business of how I, as Hokage, am unfit in my position, I am placing on the floor an open challenge for any council member to step forward and take the position."

Many of the council looked at each other and a steadily rising roar was beginning to emerge as Sarutobi continued. "This challenge is open only once, and will be no holds barred with the possibility of a loss leading to death. This offer is to be rescinded when we end discussions." He glanced from one end of the council to the other at many fear etched faces, and Danzou's open scowl. "Now, who wishes to become the next Hokage?"

* * *

"But Sensei..." Sakura balked once again as Sasuke turned his back on her, Kakashi becoming exasperated with the pink haired kunoichi.

"Sakura, this is only a spar, we're not actually trying to hurt each other, just expand on what we've already learned." He wanted to run his hands over his face at her. He knew it was going to be trouble to put Sakura and Sasuke together in a match of taijutsu, he just never thought that both of them wouldn't even consider it, for different reasons all their own. Sighing, he ducked his head before he pointed off at the training logs at the other side of the clearing. "Punches, the both of you. Kicks right after that until your both ready to spar."

Sasuke sneered as he headed off toward the training logs, Sakura following with her head held low. She couldn't raise a hand to the boy she cared about, no matter what her Sensei said, it just wasn't in her. Especially after he had come back and carried her back to the training grounds.

Kakashi shook his head at the both of them before turning back to his final student. Naruto stood idly, thumbs in his pockets with his hands draped over top of them. "Do you wanna practice, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded for a moment before he seemed to remember something and look over at his teammates.

"I know you're nervous to let them know about your tenant, but training isn't going to bring it out, is it?" Kakashi eye smiled at his blonde student, who came him a squint eyed gaze.

**"If only he knew..."** Kyuubi chuckled darkly as Naruto shivered.

Kakashi stood up and reached into his weapon's pack, pulling out his little orange book before thumbing it open. "You may want to use your clone jutsu for this." Kakashi hitched for a second before closing his book and kneeling down in front of Naruto. "Did you learn the Kage Bunshin when Mizuki tried to get you to steal the scroll?" Naruto nodded, "How many Kage Bunshin can you make?" Naruto shrugged. "Tell ya what. We'll skip your practice and you can go do...whatever...if you make enough Kage Bunshins till you feel your chakra drop. How's that sound?"

Naruto smiled up at Kakashi before making the sign for the jutsu.

"Hold up, Naruto." Kakashi said as he slid his orange book back into it's place before he lifted his visor, allowing Naruto to see his other eye for the first time. Unlike his normal eye, this side of his face had a scar running from underneath the headband and down through where the eye was, continuing down behind the mask. The red eye had three teardrop like marks in it, the fat end of the marks pointed toward the center of the eye as it began to spin slowly. "Ok, begin."

**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted out as Kakashi kept an eye on Naruto and his chakra capacity.

Kakashi wasn't really eyeing how many clones were popping up, but was watching the level of Naruto's chakra as he poured it out into the clones. He watched as Naruto's reserves began to dip slightly in a very slow dive before he felt a flare of chakra behind him and gave Naruto the order to stop. He dropped the headband back over its place to conserve his own chakra before looking around at the sea of Naruto that had sprung up around him, both Sakura and Sasuke looking at Naruto in surprise and, with Sasuke only, hatred.

"My goodness, that is certainly a lot of you." Kakashi muttered just barely loud enough for Naruto to hear, earning him a sheepish grin and his blonde student scratching the back of his head carefully. "Ok, Naruto, you're relieved from practice for the day, go ahead and dispell your clones."

Naruto nodded and made the symbol for the ram. The sudden explosion of smoke caused Sakura and Sasuke to start coughing and momentarily obscured everything in sight. Kakashi heard Naruto hit the ground face first as the backlash of dispelling all those Naruto's all at once hit his mind with the equivalent of a wet towel being taken to his body, only more intense.

"Let me guess, you've never tried making so many at once and then dispelling them?" Kakashi asked as he knelt over his barely conscious student.

**"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US, YOU BAKA!!"** Kyuubi was shouting at him, making the throbbing his brain was going through all that much worse.

"Let this be a lesson to you." Kakashi said as he shook his head at Naruto. "Your clones are special, Naruto. Whatever they experience, you'll remember. They're like you, only they don't have as much power to them." _'They're only 1000x weaker chakra wise than the original, but who's counting?'_ "Why don't you go see Hana..." Kakashi thought briefly for a moment before smiling to himself, "or better yet, go see Kurenai. She won't be able to do anything for your head, but I'm guessing that she can find out something special about you that you may not know about."

"Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head to the side while Kakashi took a piece of paper and a stub of a pencil and wrote down a quick note that he handed to Naruto.

"Take that to Kurenai at training ground 8 and she'll test you on a few things, then you can head over to Hana afterwards." Kakashi pointed to his left. "Should be that way."

Naruto nodded and took off in the direction Kakashi pointed, jumping into the trees once he got close enough to them.

"Kakashi-sensei? What the heck did Naruto just do?" Sakura called out from where she stood next to a seething Sasuke.

"I was testing how much chakra he's got. Now back to your practice." Kakashi said as he reached back into his pouch, pulling out his little orange book.

* * *

"Please tell me that all of the mission's aren't going to be like that one every day." Kiba whined as Akamaru licked at his scratched up hand.

Hinata looked like her coat had been made threadbare in places and even her cheek sported a scratch mark or two, in one place they overlapped in different directions. Her hair was a mess and she looked beat. Shino was the worst out of all three of them, his coat had gone through a wood chipper if the ragged flaps at the bottom and near his face were any indication. His sleeves had rips all the way up to the elbows on both of his arms and his glasses sat askew on his nose, making him look even worse for wear.

"And you said a cat was going to be no problem." Kurenai shook her head, hiding the smirk she wanted to wear in front of her Genin. Tora the Cat mission was always available, and it was just their bad luck that the fire daimyo wife's cat had just had a recent bath on top of Akamaru hunting it down. "All of you looked bushed, so I ...?"

Naruto landed at the edge of their training ground, bringing her comment up short. The not so quiet "Eeep!" of Hinata brought the boy's attention to their newest arrival as Naruto walked up to Kurenai and bowed his head before handing her a note. Naruto looked over Shino's clothes and the rough looking Kiba with a raised eyebrow before looking at Hinata who was trying to make something of her hair in a hurry while she blushed to her ears.

"That's a bit of a strange request." Kurenai muttered, drawing Shino's attention, while Kiba bared his teeth at Naruto. "Team 8 is dismissed, but if you wish to stay and watch, I'll allow it. You might learn something from watching."

"Just what may we be learning?" Shino asked quietly, his eyebrows raised as he looked back at Naruto.

"Well, it appears that Naruto showed Kakashi something unusual, and wanted to test Naruto's control on dispelling genjutsus, so I am going to be putting a few test genjutsus on him. If you think you can handle it, I could do the same for all of you at once."

Hinata stood straighter as she nearly bounced on her toes. _'Training with Naruto-kun, training with Naruto-kun...'_

"Anything the Dobe can do, I can do, sensei. Even as tired as I am, I can do it way better." Kiba growled his challenge towards Naruto who didn't seem to notice he had been challenged at all.

"I do need to practice dispelling genjutsus." Shino spoke tentatively before nodding.

**"Genjutsus, huh?"** Kyuubi smirked inside of Naruto. **"Watch a God at work, gaki."**

Kurenai stood back a little before she made a few handsigns and sent out a basic academy jutsu toward all four of them. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata all made the Ram sign and pulsed their chakra nearly at the same time while Naruto just stood there. Kurenai waited for a moment before getting a curious look on her face.

"Do you sense anything, Naruto?" Kurenai asked, getting a snicker from Kiba and Kiba getting a hostile look from Hinata before she gave Naruto a concerned one.

Naruto tilted his head before looking at the three students before looking at Kurenai. "Did you use your jutsu? I didn't notice a thing."

"Give me a break, Dobe. Just cause you can't break such a simple jutsu doesn't mean you need to lie about it." Kiba scoffed whereas Shino's eyebrows raised at Naruto.

**"Such a simple genjutsu, not worth my time."** Kyuubi yawned as it waited for the next one.

Kurenai gave Naruto a cursory examination for the jutsu she cast on him, only not able to find anything, not even a trace of it. "Let's try something stronger." Kurenai offered as she created a double layer genjutsu, throwing it subtly across all of them at once.

Shino seemed to realize what it was after a few moment, pulsing his chakra with more strength than before to break both layers. Hinata was just behind him as she pulsed her own at nearly the same strength, though the effort left her slightly weak in the knees. Kiba pulsed his to dispell one, only to have to dispell the second one after he realized that he couldn't speak. Naruto continued to stare and watch everyone.

**"Better, for a human, anyways."** Kyuubi muttered as it yawned a second time, bored out of its mind. **"It was very subtle, but still nothing compared to a real illusion."**

"Nai-chan!" Anko appeared out from a shunshin, glomping her raven haired friend as she rubbed her body against Kurenai. "Are you done playing with the gaki brigade yet? Lunch is nearly over and..."

"Not right now, Anko." Kurenai dismissed Anko as she studied Naruto once again, unable to figure out why her genjutsus just slid off of him.

Anko did not look happy. "What's got you all fun and sunshine, huh?" Anko stared at Naruto for a moment before she gripped Kurenai protectively, lifting one leg up onto the raven haired woman with a pouty expression. "My Nai-chan, go get your own girlfriend."

Hinata falling into a heap at the implication plus the fact that Anko had nearly wrapped her body around her sensei was a bit too much for her. Kurenai gave Anko a stern look.

With a sigh, Anko unwrapped herself from around Kurenai and took a step back, scratching at the back of her head. "Um...a bit much?" She asked with a sheepish grin, scratching her head as Naruto had done not too long ago.

"You just volunteered to cast a genjutsu on these three while I try to wake Hinata." Kurenai bit off as she knelt down next to the Hyuga princess.

Anko's grin made Shino shiver and Kiba flinch, though Naruto stood there waiting for whatever Anko had in store for them. Her hands flew through several signs as she tilted her head down, finishing in the Tiger sign before she called out, **"Ninpo: Kanashibari no Jutsu!"** She snapped her head upward, throwing her killer intent at the three boys, freezing Kiba and Shino where they stood while Naruto looked at them when they went rigid.

**"The snake woman has some power to her."** Kyuubi hummed to itself as it lifted itself up to its feet. **"I almost felt that one. Go ahead and dispell it, kit."**

Seeing as how Shino and Kiba were unable to move, Naruto formed the Ram seal before pulsing his chakra. His chakra lit up around his body in a sickly red glow with blue splotches as it seemed to lift from his body a few inches before the killer intent washed away from all of them. Shino stared once more at Naruto, his eyebrows furrowed whereas Kiba and Akamaru were having a hard time breathing.

"ANKO!!" Kurenai shouted from where she was cradling a now awake and scared Hyuga Hinata. "Genjutsu! Not scare the hell out of them!"

"Most of them." Anko said as she pointed at the blonde jinchuuriki while looking at her friend. "He didn't even feel it."

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata's barely heard voice drew Kurenai's attention as she gazed down into the eyes of the Byakugan in its full power. "Kirei..."

Naruto scratched the back of his head before kicking the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Um...Sensei, I should be going now. I have to stop at Hana's before going to dinner."

Kurenai looked at Kiba, who was still slightly out of it and to Shino, who was staring hard at Naruto before nodding. "I think we're done for the day. You're all dismissed." Kurenai helped an unsteady Hinata to her feet as Naruto turned and bounded out of the training ground.

"Aw, the gaki left..." Anko pouted to herself. Shino walked off for home, not wanting to look back, or maybe he'd be next to get Anko's attention.

"Arf, Arf Arf." Akamaru yipped before grabbing at Kiba's pant leg and tugging. Whatever the pup said snapped Kiba out of his trance.

"Naruto!" Kiba shouted as he turned around and raced after the blonde genin. "Stay away from my sister!"

* * *

"You seem frustrated of late." The sallow eyed swordsman said to his purple haired student as they sparred lightly with each other, which meant no jumping all across town, cutting away anything that could get in their way of their next attack or blocked their path.

Yuugao bit her lip before countering the overhead sword strike. "It's my partner." She sighed as she parried a thrust and returned one of her own. "She's...not exactly all there."

The swordsman nodded as he stepped back from a slash to his stomach before testing Yuugao's defenses again. "From the sound of it, you got teamed up with some real psycho."

Yuugao parried several times before she could counter. "She's been called that a few times, and worse..."

The man hesitated in an attack, to which the woman stopped as well. "Don't tell me you got teamed up with that Mitarashi woman?"

Yuugao eyed him for a moment before sighing and sheathing her weapon over her shoulder with a practiced motion. "Yeah, Hokage-sama thought it would be a good idea to put the both of us on a mission inside of Konoha that might take a while to complete."

The man eyed her as he sheathed his own weapon before they walked over to the bench that had her ANBU mask sitting on it. She took the mask in her lap as they both took a seat on the bench and sat in quiet before continuing their conversation.

"How bad of a mission is it if you're teamed up with Mitarashi Anko of all people?" He asked her, the bags under his eyes making him look like he had lost way too much sleep for a normal person.

Yuugao shifted where she sat. "It's an easy protection job for one of the genin in the village. The famous one."

The man hesitated for a moment as he thought about that. "Has someone tried kidnapping Uchiha Sasuke?"

Yuugao gave him a critical gaze. "The _other_ famous genin."

"Ah." He said as he turned his face forward, staring off at nothing. "I guess that makes sense. If it was the Uchiha, the entire town would have heard about it."

Yuugao placed her mask on her face and attached it quietly before looking at the sky. "I need to go, I was supposed to take over guard duty a few minutes ago." Standing up from the bench, she heard the guy call to her.

"Does this mean that our date is on hold?" He asked as he stood up as well, the desire to stay behind after she left not a very compelling one.

She turned her head slightly so she could peer out of one eye hole back at him. "For now." She turned forward, nearly taking a step before turning her head back at him. "One other thing." She said, causing him to stop before he jumped off himself for wherever he was bound to next. "You're an ass, Gekkou Hayate."

* * *

The grounds of the Hyuga compound were pristine, tranquil, everything that you would associate with a family well-to-do. In the back of the house, training on one of the house dummies that was marked for the Jyuuken strikes of the main branch, Hyuga Hinata sat and watched as her younger sister, Hyuga Hanabi, practiced relentlessly.

She remember a time when she had been as energetic as her younger sister, of the days she would come here to practice with her mother, who had long since passed a few years after the birth of her sister. When her training had been shifted over to her father, those memories didn't seem to be so happy anymore. But now, she could find a reason to be happy again. She had got to train with her hero, the young boy who had risked his life for her when they had been too young to do great things.

Her mind drifted off to when she had woken up cradled against Kurenai when all that terror had been washing over them. Her Byakugan had activated reflexively, looking for the jutsu's weak point so that she could counter it, but seeing only a projection of terror coming from the trench coat wearing friend of their sensei. Then her eyes picked up the pulse of light that had alleviated the terror, and she couldn't look away from him as his chakra coils moved in a hypnotic way. She had never seen anything like it before, not in anyone other than him, and she never wanted to look at anyone else because of that.

His coils had dimmed to embers, the blue of his chakra dimmed down to nothing before they had become overlayed by the red warmth that had sprung up and out of him, across everyone. It burned through his coils like fire and moved like water, but it beat as if it had a pulse to it, where normal chakra would simply flow in a continuous loop. She could feel the heat in her own body starting to build up slowly as she watched it coursing through him, only to have her sister suddenly poke her in the forehead, bringing her back to reality.

"I said, it's your turn, Nee-chan." Hanabi said, looking down at her firmly with her father's harsh glare.

"Eh?" Hinata intelligently said before realizing what those words meant. "Ah, gomen Hanabi-chan. I was thinking about my training today." She rose from her seiza position, Hanabi taking her spot, as she walked over to the training dummy and took the first stance of the Jyuuken.

"What's it like?" Hanabi asked as Hinata made her first strike, aiming for the left wrist to disable. "Becoming a ninja of Konoha." She elaborated.

Hinata hesitated a moment as she thought over what to tell her sister, who was only two years younger than her. "I thought I would make our clan proud by becoming a ninja of Konoha. Now, as I learn what it means to be a ninja in truth, I wonder sometimes if I will not make father angry if I fail."

Hanabi tilted her head to the side as she watched her sister hit the points on the dummy with a rare accuracy out of her. "Father would be most upset if you did fail a simple mission." No one had a lot of hope for Hinata, she played her opinions close to the vest.

"Failure would be one thing." Hinata continued to hit her targets, the strikes whipping out with a bit more speed behind them. "If I am raped or killed, it would be a greater shame for him."

Hanabi watched her sister as she reset herself and slipped into the second stance of the main branch Jyuuken. "He is more ashamed of your infatuation with that blonde boy who saved you."

The first strike was way off.

"He calls him all sorts of names when he thinks no one is listening."

The fifth strike missed just as badly.

"He even says that he's a demon and should be killed."

Hinata's Byakugan activated as her hand blasted the upper part of the dummy from the bottom, her hand firmly rested where the heart on a person her size would be. Her anger disappeared in shock as she realized she had broken the training dummy, and wondering what kind of reprimand she would get for it.

"Father does what he believes is right." Hinata didn't add that although he did what is right, it didn't mean that he _was_ right to do them.

Hanabi noted the torn away upper part of the dummy before regarding her sister with a cool look. "Nee-chan, what is it that you see in him anyways? No one talks about him in a good way, so why?"

Hinata fidgeted in place and pressed her index fingers together in front of herself as she looked at the ground. "He..." Hinata began before she felt the need to swallow, her throat suddenly dry. "I...I wish...I was brave...like him..." Hanabi gave her a confused look. "He doesn't allow what people say about him get to him. H-he d-doesn't quit e-even wh-when he's told it's i-impossible." She looked up at Hanabi with frustration painted across her face. "He's a v-very strong ninja..."

Hanabi stared at Hinata as she processed what she had been told before she got up and headed out of the training room. Hinata's Byakugan dissipated on its own as her nerves settled back down. She had made a fool of herself, in front of her sister no less. That was not something that would be approved of if her father found out about it, but just for a moment, she hoped that Naruto would have smiled at her with a rare fox like grin he used to smile at her, and nod his head in approval.

Just for a moment.

* * *

**(At the veterinary clinic)**

The Haimaru Sankyodai stepped outside of the clinic first, guarding the door as they inspected the street in either direction as the sun slowly made its way down behind the roofs of Konoha. Naruto stepped out behind them, looking one way, then the other, as even he inspected the streets before making room for Inuzuka Hana as she came outside and locked the door behind her.

Turning around after making sure the door was secure, she placed her hands in her pockets as she smiled down at Naruto. "Well, Naruto, I'm glad you decided to hang around until we closed down for the day. Things were kinda slow around here anyways and I thought Kanae was going to mope all over the place until you showed up."

"Just glad I didn't cause you any trouble." Naruto grinned slightly, though it looked forced as he scratched the back of his head.

"Kanae causes trouble, you keep her distracted enough for me to keep her contained." Hana smiled at Naruto, trying to assure him. Her smile dropped as she looked down at the little blonde boy. "Why did you leave in the middle of the night?"

Naruto's hand froze before he dropped it entirely and gave Hana a flat look.

"I know that you think people around you are going to get hurt if they're seen by you, but damn it, Naruto, you have to let people near you sooner or later." She gave him a frustrated look. "Not everyone's going to hurt you because of who you are."

Naruto looked down as Kanae rubbed her head against him, trying to get him to rub her head or put his fingers through her fur. Mikoto had come back and sat at Hana's right while Sanae sat at her left. All three of them were looking at him, and he could feel them waiting for his answer.

"One of my friends was nearly attacked because of me." Naruto barely uttered, his voice picking up strength as he went. "It was her birthday and they nearly turned on her because she was my friend." He looked at Hana with eyes that were holding back tears. "I told myself after that that I shouldn't have many friends, or maybe I shouldn't have any at all."

Hana frowned, finding the actions of some people to be not to her liking. "Ya know, Naruto." Hana spoke to get him to look her in the eyes. "It's not like your the same little kids that you were back then." He looked at her in confusion. "Your bigger now, and can stand on your own two feet, which is the whole reason behind growing up. If those people start picking on her again, its your duty to protect those closest to you, not by cutting yourself off from them. That only hurts the both of you in the long run, and that's exactly what they were trying to do."

Naruto tilted his head at her before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hana. She was a bit surprised that he gave her a hug, but soon enough realized that he was making an effort to show her that he had heard her. "Thank you, Hana-san."

She rapped his head with her knuckles lightly, illiciting an 'Ite' from him. "I told you not to call my name with the san added to it." She smiled lightly as she returned his hug. "Makes me feel old."

Naruto looked up at her with a deadpanned look. "But you are, aren't you?" The narrowed eyes and the vein sticking up on her brow made him shiver involuntarily. His face shifted to his true grin, that of the foxy look he gave people when up to no good. "Guess that means I'll have to watch out for you then, won't it?"

She rapped his head a second time, this time a little harder. "If anyone's going to be watching out for anyone, it'll be me watching out for you." She sniffed as she crossed her arms and turned her head from him.

They started walking for the Inuzuka complex in silence for a bit, the streets clearing of people in the area as the more popular places drew people in toward them and away from the regular businesses that were run mostly by the families in the area. The silence was a nice thing, but with Naruto around, it never lasted long.

"Ne, Hana-san." He took the rap to his head without noise before he continued. "Who are your friends?"

"My friends?" Hana thought for a moment as they walked down the street. "Well, there's Sanae, Kanae, and Mikoto." Hana thought about it for a bit longer. "There's you, but you already knew that." She continued to think to herself, but was pulling a blank. _"Guess I devote my time to the clinic a bit too much..."_ She sighed, shaking her head at the thought. "Guess I'm a little like you, huh?"

Naruto looked up at her before shaking his head. "You're a good person, Hana-san. Anyone would like to be your friend."

She seriously considered rapping him in the head again, but didn't want to knock loose his last brain cell. "Maybe, but for us Inuzuka, it's a bit different." She saw Naruto's curious face, so she elaborated. "You see how my girls protect me all the time, right?" He nodded, so she continued. "The Inuzuka trust our pets as our friends. In our eyes, they're not pets, but our family, and we trust them as much as they trust us. Trust for us is very important, it's not something we just hand out to everyone."

Naruto tilted his head down in thought, and she could tell he didn't quite get it yet.

"It means that when we trust someone, we trust them for life." She finished for him, getting a shocked look.

"You really trust me like that?" Naruto asked quietly as they stopped in front of the Inuzuka compound.

Hana rubbed his spiky blonde hair as she smiled down at him past the bang handing down in front of her eyes. "Good night, Naruto." She opened the door to the house, letting her teammates go in before her before she waved at him from the door and closed it behind herself.

Naruto stood quietly in front of the door for a while before he turned and headed off to find someplace to sleep for the night. On his way back to training ground 44, he noticed Ino sitting on a swing, looking dejected as she stared at the ground in front of her feet.

"Ino?" Naruto blurted out, not sure why he did it.

Her head whipped up with a bright smile, only for it to dim into something plastered in place. "Oh, hey ya, Naruto." She spoke to him, trying to sound pleasant, but sounding more like her pet just died. "Hey, have you seen Sasuke?" She asked hopefully. "You're on his team, right? Have you seen him at all after practice?"

Naruto hesitated before shaking his head.

"Oh." Ino seemed to deflate in place. "I guess he forgot."

Naruto tilted his head to the side at her as she returned to staring at the ground in front of herself. "Would you like me to go find him?"

Ino shook her head. "It wouldn't be the same." She weakly smiled at him. "Thanks for offering, Naruto."

Naruto stared at her for a bit longer before walking over next to her and sitting down in a swing right next to her, keeping her company as the sun continued to disappear, turning the sky orange, and finally into red.

"Well, guess it wasn't all bad." Ino said with a minute amount of cheer. "My first day as being a teenager." She grinned weakly before she turned her head to Naruto in a thoughtful manner. "Your birthday isn't too far off, right?"

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, it's in about two weeks." His birthday's were never something to be celebrated, they were more along the lines of something to be cursed.

She looked at him, putting aside her own misery for a moment. "Ya know, you don't have to celebrate your birthday by yourself, if you don't want to."

Naruto turned his head and gave her a wan smile. "Thanks anyways, Ino, but I think I'll just stay outta people's way."

Ino frowned at him. "Naruto, it's your birthday. Your supposed to celebrate it with your friends, and cake and presents. What the hell kinda birthday party is it if you treat it like every other day?"

Naruto never let his smile drop. "It would be the celebration of the Yondaime's passing."

Ino flinched before dropping her gaze back to the ground. "I forgot that your birthday is on that day."

"It's no big deal." Naruto smiled weakly as he tilted his head back and looked at the sky. "The Yondaime was important for all of us. We may not be here now if it wasn't for him."

**"Not for lack of trying..."** Kyuubi grumbled in the back of his head.

"Hey, Naruto." She waited till he looked at her. "Would you mind if I came over on your birthday?"

Naruto chuckled weakly as he scratched at the back of his head. "I...uh...don't have that place anymore."

Ino stared at him for a moment. "Where are you living at then?"

"Um..." this was going to be bad, he just knew it. "Training ground 44?"

She stared at him for a moment, unable to say anything. "You're kidding, right?" He chuckled weakly at her for a moment. "What the hell, Naruto?" She shouted at him as she stood up and pointed at him. "How the hell do you get thrown out of your apartment? You told me the Hokage paid the rent from a fund for all orphans who tried to go it on their own!"

She was getting pissed off at him. Least she wasn't being down on herself anymore. He stood up in front of her with a serious look on his face, making her step back in apprehension. He unnerved her further when he gave her a toothy grin.

"Happy birthday, Ino." He spoke gently to her before he jumped up into a tree and disappeared.

She stared dumbly at the tree for a moment before her face contorted in anger. "Damn it, Naruto! I wasn't done yelling at you yet!"

* * *

**OMAKE NO JUTSU!!**

Naruto was just sitting down to his first bowl of Ramen from Ichiraku Ramen when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and spin him. His hand reached in a flash and dived into his weapon satchel for a kunai as someone sat down in his lap and pulled his face up against a new covered body with a trench coat covering.

"I missed you so much, Gaki." Anko crooned as she ran her hands through the golden locks of Naruto's hair. "For too long our love has gone on unrequited, but now we are together again, at last!"

"Um..." The sound of Ayame spoke as she watched the scene of the older woman trying to force feed her chest with Naruto's head. "Can I ... take your order?"

She gave the woman behind the counter an unreadable stare for only a moment before suddenly reaching into trench coat and producing a small piece of paper that she placed on the counter. Amae's eyes dropped to the sheet reflexively and to the boldly written word on it before mumbling aloud, "Yoink?"

Looking back up, she watched as Anko finished tying the sack over her shoulder as it bulged from Naruto being tied away inside of it, a kerchief tied off over her head and just under her nose before the kunoichi bounded off cackling like a mad woman and shouting for all of Konoha to hear, "What a Haul! What a haul!"

* * *

**See what happens when you read to much Ranma? You spout bad poetry and in her case, take on the better aspects of Happosai...  
**


	7. Cleaning Up

**Wow, I actually got a chapter writing within a month and posted within that time...**

**Someone check me to make sure I'm still the same slackoff, I think I've been switched with some pod person**

**Disclaimer: The storyline written here is not the original and permission to use all characters, places, justus, ect. was not given or asked for**

* * *

"Blah" - Normal Speech

_"Blah"_ - thoughts

**"Blah!"** - Kyuubi speech/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** - Jutsu name/Attack

* * *

"Asuma sensei, you've got to talk to Team 7's squad leader." Ino nearly shouted as soon as Asuma arrived for their morning team meeting.

Asuma sighed, already feeling the headache coming on that would be leading to a migraine. "I know you want to be teamed up with Sasuke, Ino, but we have this scheduled out. Right now, they're with Team Gai, and I'll see if we can get pushed up in the rotation." Hopefully, if he could get their team to be next, they wouldn't have to listen to Ino whine all the time about being with the Uchiha.

"This isn't about Sasuke-kun, Sensei." Ino grated her teeth,trying to rein in her temper. "Naruto is living in training gorund 44, he was kicked out of his house!"

Shikamaru looked up from where he had laid down at, peering at Ino incredulously while Chouji's hand missed his chip bag he was eating out of.

"Ino, he can't be living out of that place." Asuma rubbed his brow as he pondered what Ino was telling them.

"He told me to my face that he is." Ino said, pointing at herself for emphasis.

"Don't you think..." Chouji started to say, only to get pierced by Ino's glare, "Maybe, he was just...playing a prank on you?" He finished weakly, rubbing at his hair that was spiked up into two points, the cloth from his Hitai-ate stretched from the plate overtop the middle and tied back behind his head.

"The last time he played a prank was when he defaced the Hokage monument when he was seven." Ino spat, daring Chouji

"Man, what a drag..." Shikamaru sat up, dusting his pants down for any grass that may be attached to him. "We might as well head over there. Ino won't give us a break otherwise." Chouji got up and walked over next to his best friend, still engrossed with eating his potato chips.

Asuma sighed, exhaling with a long sigh before standing up. "Alright, since you've all agreed, for once, to do something, I guess we can go check on him. Team 7's usual training grounds is usually training ground 11. If we get over there quickly, we might catch them before we have to track them down." _'At least he got my team motivated into doing something together, for once.'_

-

"Please tell us we're not training with Team Gai today, Kakashi sensei..." Sakura moaned out loud, her legs aching from the past few days exercise. They stood together in their team training ground, Sasuke next to her looking unconcerned, Naruto looking as if he had a rough night of sleep.

Kakashi knelt down in front of all three of them, eyeing them one at a time before eye smiling. "Well, if you don't want to train with Gai's team today, perhaps you'd like to do some missions today."

_"Anything, as long as we don't have to deal with those exercising psychos and their big, bushy eyebrows..."_ Sakura thought to herself, shivering at the sudden nightmare of the eyebrows sucking the brains of those green spandex wearing 'Youth!' inspired individuals.

"Will it be any more useless than that other team?" Sasuke asked, contempt in his voice as he glared morosely at Kakashi.

"Not only will it still work up your teamwork, but it will teach you all valuable skills and will toughen you up for later C rank missions." Kakashi continued to eye smile at everyone as he stood up, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Naruto!" The high pitched voice called from the outskirts of the training ground, catching the attention of Team 7.

Ino marched her way across the field, her hands clenched and her face dead serious as she stared a hole through Naruto. Chouji and Shikamaru followed behind her, but clearly not as intent on confronting the blonde as their teammate was. Asuma brought up the rear, waving idly to Kakashi as his cigarette hung from his lips.

"Ino pig!" Sakura slipped into protective mode as she grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke glared at Sakura, who wasn't paying attention to him for a change, and was making sure Ino didn't get any closer to him.

"Can it, forehead." Ino snapped off, not even looking at Sakura. "Alright Naruto, come clean. What did you mean by 'You're living out in training ground 44'?"

Kakashi's eye widened imperceptibly before he looked over at Asuma for confirmation, who could only shrug.

Naruto leaned back a bit as Ino leaned into his personal space, looking up into his eyes as she placed her fists on her hips. Her purple clothes hung tightly to her body, though her shorts had to be bandaged down as they were a few sizes too big for her through the leg. She waited for Naruto to say something, her powder blue eyed pinning him in place as her blonde bang hung over and into her face.

"Oy, Dobe." Sasuke called to Naruto, "Hurry up and answer her, we have missions to do." He didn't care where the orange colored terror lived at, as long as he didn't hold him back.

Naruto frowned over at Sasuke before Ino's "Well?" made him look back at her.

"Naruto." Kakashi gathered everyone's attention, his eye serious for a change. "Is this true?" His voice was level and considering, though there was a little killer intent mixed into it for good measure.

Naruto sighed, sagging in on himself before nodding.

"Wow, that's gotta be harsh, living in the Forest of Death." Chouji spoke with a little bit of awe in his voice. "Do you, like, have a tent out there or something?"

Naruto wanted to tell everyone to drop it, but the look Kakashi was giving him told him to answer honestly. "I've been living out of a hollow at the base of a tree." Naruto tapered off at the end.

Sakura paled at the thought of living in the wild as Kakashi asked in no uncertain terms. "For how long?"

Sasuke took the opportunity between Naruto's answer and Kakashi's question to remove his arm from the pink girl's grip. "Almost a week now." Naruto answered, earning him a considering look from the Uchiha prodigy.

Kakashi ran through a few probabilities in his head before openly sighing. "Everyone's dismissed for today. Naruto, you and I need to see Hana."

"What about our mission?" Sasuke growled, grinding his teeth. "We were going to do missions today instead of training."

Kakashi eyed the seething Sasuke for a moment, gauging him before eyeing Sakura, then looking over at Asuma. "Would you mind too terribly if..." Kakashi motioned barely with his head at his other two teammates.

Asuma shook his head. "We needed to start doing some anyways. I'll simply tell the old man that they're on loan and where to find you if he needs to talk."

Kakashi nodded, knowing he was going to get a summons from the Hokage even before he was finished dealing with Naruto and Hana, although, Hana would probably kick him out again once her 'friends' started giving him the third degree. "Come on, Naruto. We need to get you cleaned up."

Ino stared off after the departing blonde boy before realization sunk in on what Kakashi was talking about. "Oh, that is just disgusting!" Ino shouted, making Naruto flinch and hurrying him after his masked sensei.

"What the hell are you shouting about this time, Ino pig?" Sakura growled, earning her the heated gaze of her previous friend.

"Don't you get it?" Ino complained to Sakura, who looked on in silent confusion. "He hasn't had a place to live in for nearly five days, Sakura."

"Well, yeah, that's what he said." Sakura looked off in the direction both Kakashi and Naruto had left in. "But what's the big deal? I mean, sure, living out in the wild is going to be dirty, but there wasn't any reason you needed to shout at him like that."

"Do you have a brain behind that huge forehead of yours?" Ino asked as she came over and poked Sakura in the mentioned place, eliciting an indignant shout. "Yeah, he's been living in the wild on his own, and he can still get a bath from the local hot springs, but where is he going to wash his clothes at?"

Sakura realized what she was talking about and blanched visibly. Of course, Naruto didn't have anywhere to wash his clothes at, and even if he didn't he didn't have any spare clothes he could change into, meaning that either he had washed his clothes in a stream wherever he had been hidden out in, or he just didn't wash them at all. She felt sick just thinking about it.

"Man, what a drag..." Shikamaru scratched at the base of his pineapple ponytail at the back of his head. "As if one Ino wasn't a big enough problem working with..." Chouji nodded sagely as he munched on his chips.

"Shut it, Shikamaru!" Ino shouted at her teammate. Fortunately, she didn't hear him muttering under his breath about 'troublesome' and 'women' in the same breath.

_"Was I really that bad in a past life?"_ Asuma thought to himself as he covered his eyes with a hand.

* * *

Hana had only been open for an hour and could already tell that today was going to be a slow day. Her Haimaru Sankyodai had taken their usual places, Mikoto was sitting down next to her behind the counter, Sanae took guard up by the doorway, and Kanae had jumped up into the seats and stared out the window, tail wagging happily as she watched life pass by.

Sometimes she envied her partners, how they could go on, day by day, and be content with what was going on around them. She liked her job, don't get her wrong about that, it's just that she had nothing but her job, and that sucked for an Inuzuka, let alone the Heir of the Inuzuka clan. She didn't even have a boyfriend...

There had been that one time when she had gone out with a few of her old graduate class from the academy who were still alive and drank a few down before getting morose and wondering what she was going to do with herself. Someone had made the comment that Hatake Kakashi had been seen more than once around her place of work with the 'Demon Brat', and that she might consider snagging the most eligible bachelor in all of Konoha for herself.

She wasn't allowed back in that bar since.

Kakashi was an flaming pervert, if anyone ever was, openly reading that orange book in the street at any moment in time, ignoring the world for what those pages held. She was better than Kakashi, and there was no way in hell she was going to have a mate who was that big of a pervert.

The only other person who could be assumed to be as big a pervert as Kakashi was Mitarashi Anko, the student of the Snake Sannin. She'd met her on a few occasions, and she wondered what she had done to get in the girl's good graces. She almost felt sorry for that Genjutsu specialist who befriended her, but she couldn't really say that. The girl was a little messed up in the head after her time with the dark Sannin, she could have been a lot worse, like dead for instance.

Kanae's single bark, followed by her standing in the seat and dancing around in circles brought her back to awareness. Sanae got up from where she stood and came over, joining Kanae in the window to peer out it at whoever had caught her attention only for her to come back to the door and scratch at it, whining.

The door opened and Sanae launched out at the person outside the door, whining as Kanae joined her. Stepping out from behind the counter and walking over to the doorway, she watched for a moment as her two partner's proceeded to lick Naruto's face. Looking over at Kakashi, she ask, "So, what happened to him this time?"

Kakashi tried to eye smile at her, getting nowhere with her good graces before sighing and looking down at Naruto. "We found out where he's been living for the last week."

Sanae sat back from him, watching as Kanae continued to lick him and get him to play with her as Naruto tried to fend her off. "Something I should know about?" Hana asked, even though she could guess from the smell of the boy.

Mikoto came out from behind the door and watched Kanae for a moment before growling in her throat, the look on her face anything but pleasant. Kanae got off of Naruto and whined at her partner only for Mikoto to growl at her again, making her ears lay back flat against her head.

"He's been living in the Forest of Death for the last week." Kakashi spoke, thinking that the dogs were starting to take on the meaner aspects of Hana since he was standing so close to Naruto. He stepped back as Mikoto stopped growling at Kanae.

Hana's eyebrow twitched in annoyance before she sighed. "Guess there's nothing for it, then." She reached down and helped Naruto up to his feet, pushing him in past her before turning to Kakashi. "I'll get him cleaned up, you go get him some clothes."

Kakashi blinked. "Me?" He pointed at himself with a slightly shocked look to him.

"You're his sensei, you're supposed to be taking care of him. Instead, you brought him to me, so I'm making you do the hard part." Hana said as her partners headed into the clinic, Kanae bolting in after Naruto, Sanae and Mikoto taking their time. "Make sure it's something other than orange this time, he can't be stealthy if he's wearing something so obvious."

The door closed in his face and he continued to stare at it for a bit before sighing and reaching into his weapon's satchel, pulling out his orange book. He flipped it open to a random page and began to walk off, wondering if he should go to the Hokage for his measurements or find someone to take a D rank mission for him.

* * *

"So, what's our mission for today?" Kiba asked, praying to everything he could that the cat hadn't escaped already. Tsume wasn't happy to hear that he had his butt handed to him by a feline, especially the Daimyo wife's cat, Tora.

Kurenai watched her wards as they walked along the street toward their destination. Hinata looked a bit more happier than usual, possibly having something to do with Naruto meeting with their team yesterday. Shino had gotten his coat either stitched up by an expert tailor, or it had simply been replaced. Kiba still sported a few scratches on his hands from his close encounter with the cat kind.

"Since you were so supportive of your sister yesterday, we're going to take on a D rank she submitted." Kurenai smiled slightly as Kiba stopped briefly before cursing under his breath. "She apparently filed a D rank just yesterday about a shipment of food coming in, so I hope you all got a lot of rest today." She was half tempted to fall back and cast a Genjutsu over them to see if they had been paying attention yesterday to the tests she had done on Naruto when she noticed a very conspicuous ninja with silver hair sticking into the air and a bright orange book in front of his face coming toward them. "Kakashi, where's the rest of your team?"

Kakashi looked up from reading his book before closing it and moving it down to his hip, prepared to protect it as best as he can from the Genjutsu Mistress. "My team is with Asuma today, I'm just running an errand for Hana before I meet up with them."

"That's a coincidence. My team has a D rank with her." Kurenai gestured to her Genin who were eyeing Kakashi in their own way.

"Hhmmm," Kakashi said more for the air of mystery than for anything else "I guess I'll see you back at Hana's then. Maybe we can talk while they complete their job?"

Kurenai eyed him for a second before nodding. "As long as you promise to put that book away for longer than 5 minutes, I think we can talk."

Kakashi blinked before raising his book up to eye level, then looking back at Kurenai. He flipped his book open as he started walking past, "I think I'll just ask you later, then."

Kurenai's eye twitched in irritation as the pervert walked past her to wherever. "Let's go, team." Kurenai muttered, ushering them toward the vet.

They walked down the street for a few more minutes before coming up to the front door of Hana's veterinary clinic. Kiba opened the door first, shouting into the clinic as he stepped through the door, "Hey, Sis! Where the hell are you?"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata gasped at his actions while Shino raised an eyebrow at the brash actions of his teammate. Kurenai wanted to reach over and cuff his ear just for his bad manners.

"Do you have any respect for the sick at all, Kiba Inuzuka?" Hana growled as she came from the hallway, Mikoto at her side.

"Hey sis, We're here for your D rank you put in for yesterday." Kiba spoke, waving his hand as he ignored his sister's glare. Akamaru yipped from the top of his head as it stayed nestled under the dog boy's hood.

Hana continued to narrow her eyes at Kiba before shaking her head as if she were one of her dogs. "If it were anyone else but you, Kiba..." Hana threatened impotently. "Come with me." Hana said as she walked away from the front desk and headed back the way she came.

She walked them through the building to the back side of the vet, pointing out the sizable shed a few meters away from the back of the open air kennels. "Inside is the food for the animals inside the kennels for the pets we are taking care of for people who are either unable to due to trips outside of the village, the strays we get brought from time to time, or for the animals that are recovering from medical procedures." Hana explained to them. "When the new stuff comes in, You'll stack it separate from everything else in the back of the shed. Any questions before you begin?"

"I have a question." Shino asked, unnerving his teammates slightly as the silent teammate spoke. "Will this be the only part of the mission, or is there to be more after this?"

Hana turned back to the Genin team. "There is more, but until my guest is done, you'll have to wait."

"Guest?" Hinata asked, perplexed. They didn't see anyone else inside the vet/kennel, maybe they were in another room.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, where are your other two partner's at?" Kiba said as he looked around for Sanae and Kanae.

"They're with my guest, and its none of your business." Hana said as she headed back inside to the front desk. "Now get to work."

* * *

"Well, I can honesty say that I feel sorry for you." Hana said as she took a seat behind the counter of the reception room as Kurenai took a seat as well, though where the people would wait to see the vet. "Kiba was always a bit dense, but now that he's become a teenager, he's become a horn dog, which did nothing for the little brains he had."

Kurenai winced as she strained to maintain her smile. "He's a good student." She spoke cautiously, trying to conceal the self pity she had laced in it.

"Loyal is about all I can say about it." Hana said as she sighed, running her fingers through Mikoto's fingers. "Even our mother isn't sure what to do about it..."

An uncomfortable slience permeated the room for a bit before Kurenai decided to change the subject. "You said you had a guest here, I'm not keeping you from talking with them, am I?"

Hana shook her head, making the bangs over her eyes wave from side to side. "He's taking a bath right now. Sanae and Kanae are with him."

Kurenai didn't really want to know about anything else happening back in the kennel, especially when 'bath' and 'Him' were mentioned in the same sentence. "Two of the three Haimaru Sankyodai. That would make you the heir of the Inuzuka tribe then, if what I've heard is correct."

Hana gazed at Kurenai, studying how she sat in her chair, one leg propped over the other. "And what have they said about my Haimaru Sankyodai?"

Kurenai thought on that for a moment, she didn't want to offend the client, after all. Still, she had heard how Inuzuka preferred those who were upfront about what was on their mind. "I've heard tell that they're the best tracking team their is and that their partner is one of the most patient hunter around. I've heard that anyone they've been sent out to track down, they've never failed to bring back. I've also heard that the three dogs of Hana Inuzuka is the reason why she's alone all the time."

Hana considered this while Mikoto growled in her throat. Hana flicked her partner's ear to get her to stop before she spoke carefully. "Most of that's true, except the last." She leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the counter as she considered continuing. "It's really no ones business, but seeing as how you were straight with me, I'll fill you in on what I think." She smiled deviously for a moment as she waited, thinking back to when Naruto asked her if she had any friends. "The Inuzuka prefer loyalty before friendship, and without loyalty, we don't care what people say about us. I'm by myself because there isn't a man out there who's big enough to talk to my face while my girls protect me."

Kurenai thought on that for a moment when a realization went off in her head. "You said 'girls'. Does that mean that Haimaru Sankyodai isn't correct?"

Hana grinned. "Ironic, isn't it?" She chuckled to herself as Kurenai continued to stare at her in confusion. "That is in no small part to the male species in general."

"I don't understand." Kurenai said, looking intrigued, yet still confused.

"Everyone naturally assumed that my girls are 'The Three Brothers' when in actuality the only ones who know the truth are my family." She grinned with a smirk. "Everyone naturally assumes that they're male dogs simply because of how vicious they are when they get aggressive, when in fact, a female will fight harder for her pack and her pups than a male will, even to the point of risking their life." Hana wanted to laugh at the doubt on Kurenai's face. "Oh, there are some instances where a male will fight to the death over a mate, but to a male, a pup can be replaced. A female gives a little of herself to every child she gives birth to, and will kill on a smaller provocation than a male will. We just have that killer instinct bred into us."

"Then your guest..." Kurenai said as she looked down the hall, assuming he was somewhere in that direction.

"Well, I wouldn't call him a mate, too young for that, and I'm too young to even thinking about having a litter, so I consider him the 'stray' brother I can teach to be a real man." Hana emphasized for Kurenai just as the door opened and Kakashi walked into the building, holding a bag she assumed had Naruto's clothes in it. "That was quick." Hana made the observation, trying to scent out if he had done the job or slacked off.

Kakashi eye smiled. "Hokage-sama apparently was able to confiscate Naruto's possessions before most of them were destroyed." He lifted the bag up as if he was showing off the 'big kill' he had managed to bring back.

Mikoto's hackles rose and she growled loudly, Hana's face going blank while Kurenai looked confused between Kakashi and the veterinarian.

"Are they orange?" Hana's flat tone left it plain and clear what was going to happen if they were.

Kakashi sweat dropped, still holding the bag up by his face. "I think I'll go give these to Naruto now." He made to step past the front desk when Mikoto jumped around and blocked him, hackles raised and teeth bared.

Hana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just give the sack to Mikoto, then either sit down or go away."

Kakashi eyed the big gray dog as he carefully held his hand out before dropping the sack to the floor. The bag never made the drop as Mikoto snapped outward at it, catching it in her muzzle before she snorted at Kakashi and headed down the hallway. Kakashi sweat dropped once more, thankful that he hadn't put his hand anywhere near the dog as he had first planned on doing.

"Kurenai, about Naruto..." Kakashi said as he turned to her and sweat dropped as she narrowed her red eyed gaze at him and scrutinized him for something.

She looked him over in detail, looking for a henge or a Genjutsu of any type first before looking him over carefully for any place he could have hidden that hideous little orange book and still be able to read it. Kakashi's sweat drop increased as she looked up at his face, giving him a very harsh stare.

"Alright, now about Naruto?" Kurenai sat back in her chair, arms crossed across her chest as Hana snickered from her place behind the desk.

Kakashi coughed into his fist before he continued. "Anyways, what did you think about Naruto's chakra control?"

Kurenai looked taken aback by that question and mulled the thought over in her head. "I didn't try many Genjutsus..." She muttered aloud as she shook her head, "but if I had to guess, he has no control whatsoever."

Kakashi blinked at her straight up assessment. "I can understand you'd think that with all the chakra he's got, but he's got to have some kind of control."

Kurenai frowned at Kakashi. "No way. Every Genjutsu I threw at him literally washed off him. None of them would stick, and a modicum of chakra control would have at least noticed when I sent those jutsus at him. he didn't even notice." Kurenai still didn't find it possible for Naruto to not notice, her students noticed them right away. "He did notice one, though. I wouldn't call it a Genjutsu attack, but it was the only one he noticed..."

Kakashi knew that Naruto's control was bad, but this was worse than anything he could believe. "What was the one he felt?" Hopefully, it wasn't too powerful, or he was going to have his hands full.

"Anko came along and made a scene, so I forced her to cast a jutsu on them." She watched as Kakashi shuddered at her friends name. "In her usual enthusiasm, she went overboard and threw a Kanashibari at them."

Kakashi stiffened as his eye narrowed, killer intent rippling off of him very subtlely. "What happened after that?" His voice very even with a challenging tone in it.

"The moment Anko used it, he looked over at my students, as if he felt the wave of killer intent, but just ignored it." Kurenai spoke calmly as she watched Kakashi relax. "He not only used a counter pulse to throw off the jutsu, but pulsed it so strongly that he threw it off for everyone standing around him as well."

Kakashi sighed. "That's just great..." Kakashi muttered to himself. "I'm going to have to retrain him in everything. That's going to put us even further behind."

The sounds of a fight breaking out in the back of the veterinary snapped all three Jounins heads up. Sounds of barking and stuff being tossed everywhere caused all three to rush down the hallway. They caught the sight on a large coat fluttering out the backdoor, followed by a shout from one of the Genins before they made it outside.

Kiba continued to shout and flick his fist back and forth over his head as he ranted as Shino stood over a fainted Hinata who had the brightest blush on her face. "What's going on out here?" Kurenai shouted while Hana burst into the back room, shouting about the mess and the water being all over the place.

Shino spoke up, though he didn't move from the passed out teammate. "Uzumaki Naruto came running out of the back of the clinic, in the process of getting his clothes on. He was being chased by a woman in a brown cloak with purple hair."

Kurenai wanted to sigh at her friends antics, really she did, maybe even do something a bit more than sign, but she needed to find out what happened and to take care of her team before berating her best friend. "What happened to Hinata?"

Shino's eyebrow rose slightly as he shifted, looking down at the dopey grin on his teammates face. "When we heard the disturbance, Hinata activated her Byakugan to ascertain what was going on. She froze momentarily before her nose started to bleed and she promptly passed out." Shino looked back at Kurenai before summarizing. "She hasn't stopped grinning since."

Kurenai looked at Hinata incredulously as Kakashi sighed. "Looks like you've got your own hands full. I'll go rescue my student, thanks for the assessment."

* * *

**"Run, run, as fast as you can."** Kyuubi laughed uproariously as Naruto evaded another set of weapons coming at him from the purple haired woman in the brown coat. Leaping as low as he can while fastening his pants closed, he dodged between air ducts and chimneys, stylized roof carvings that hung out over the streets, and over skylights for some of the more wealthier of merchants.

"Make it easy on yourself and stand still!" Anko shouted with sadistic glee as she started reaching into her pockets for more weapons, only to pull out used dango sticks and started launching them as if they were senbon needles.

**"She's going to get you this time, kit."** Kyuubi sneered as a dango stick tore through his pant leg along the inside of his thigh and got caught in the fabric. **"You can't run forever, like I can."**

He dodged to his right, making a break behind a chimney. Anko smirked as she threw several dango skewers beyond the other side of the chimney in anticipation of him appearing beyond it, only to bite off a profanity as he drew himself short, landing on the side of the chimney instead of past it as she planned, and jumped off in a totally different direction.

**"You're getting her upset at you."** Kyuubi whispered, going for fear inducing with its voice as Naruto made several direction changes at once, throwing Anko off a bit more and forcing her to back off to anticipate Naruto's next move. **"She's going to cut you up good when she finally gets a hold of you, then you'll bleed. I might even prevent you from healing up and just let that delicious red cover the ground with your agony."**

They were nearly at the base of the Hokage monument, and he was running out of places he could dodge to. The houses ended and he was forced into the trees as he was corralled to run toward the mountain base, watching his options disappear one at a time before running all out of options at the base of the mountain. He turned around and pulled out a kunai from his weapon satchel, holding it up in front of him in a reverse handed grip as Anko landed with a predatorial smirk on her face.

"No where left to run, little boy." Anko pulled out a kunai and licked the blade, leaving the edge damp with her saliva as she poured killer intent at Naruto.

Naruto leaned back against the Hokage mountain, not wanting to have to fight. He made a jerky motion and something blurred by his cheek, too fast for his eyes to register. He could feel something trickling down his cheek, making his muscles twitch as they tried to force Naruto to run, but his brain just wouldn't respond. He suddenly snapped back into awareness as he realized the woman that had been chasing him was no longer in front of him. Arms had snaked their way around his body and he felt two round things pressing into his back as the hands ran themselves down his chest.

"You at least know how to run away, just like good prey should." Anko's voice practically hissed in pleasure as her fingers pressed into his body. She eyed his cheek from behind him, her head over his shoulder. "Maybe I should reward you," One of her hands trailed down across his stomach as she leaned in and licked at the blood that was left on his cheek after his skin resealed itself, "For all your...hard...effort?"

Kyuubi was rolling inside of Naruto's cage as his brain melted down due to both fear and hormones playing havoc in him. The demon fox's laughter echoed through his head, making him angrier, while the woman's hands teased his body, causing confusion to run through him. The tongue on his cheek licking at his blood just made things worse.

"Yare, yare, and hear I thought you needed saving..." Kakashi's voice made both of them freeze as the pervert leaned against a tree, reading his book. "Well, if you're going to become a real man, I could think of worse ways to go..."

"Kakashi," Anko's voice was still playful in Naruto's ear, and her arms hadn't moved, but Naruto could feel her body tensing up for a fight, "Go away. It's my turn to play with the gaki."

"Sorry, Anko." Kakashi said nonchalantly as he continued to read from his book. "It's still training time, so I have to ask you to play with him later."

Anko stood up slowly, keeping her hands on Naruto's shoulders so he didn't go running off. "As if you've ever trained anyone in your entire life. Every team you've been offered, you've failed. This is your first group of Genin ever, and you only took it because the council ordered you to."

Kakashi refused to remove his eyes from his book. "He's still my Genin, Anko, not yours, and as his instructor, I have every right to refuse to 'loan' him to any other Jounin."

Anko frowned, looking down at Naruto, who had finally decided to look up at the woman. He gave her a slightly curious/frightened look as she stared down into his blue eyes. Sighing to herself, she smiled down at Naruto before she tousled his hair lightly. "Maybe next time."

Naruto felt her left go of him, and he wondered if he was allowed to go before she gave him a nudge on his head before he stepped over to Kakashi. Turning around to face the woman, he saw a brief flicker of sadness on her face before a dopey grin plastered itself on her. "Guess I'll just go play with Nai chan for awhile."

"I wouldn't if I were you." Kakashi said as he closed his book and put it away, sliding the kunai in his hand that was hidden from her back into his satchel at the same time he put his book away. "You left Hana's partners tied up in the backroom when you left, she's not exacty happy about that."

"They wouldn't let me play with my favorite gaki." Anko said as she frowned. "No one stops me from playing when I want to play."

"Well, if you go back, you back be prepared to 'play' with a pissed off Inuzuka." Kakashi said as he rubbed at the back of his head. "She was already upset at me for Naruto's clothing, so it just got passed on to you."

Anko grinned with a slightly disturbing smile. "That makes it all the more fun to go play with Nai chan then." She blurred briefly before disappearing, grass and fallen leaves whipping up into the air from the ground before falling back to the earth they came from.

Kakashi sighed as he scratched the back of his head before looking down at his student. "Ready to go catch up with your team?"

* * *

"What kind of D rank is cleaning up the training grounds?" Sakura complained as she rubbed at the dirt smudge on her forehead from where loose dirt from her hand had been placed at.

"You didn't actually think that the training grounds repaired themselves, did you?" Asuma asked the kids, checking to see how many cigarettes he had left.

"Man, what a drag..." Shikamaru was looking at his hands, the ever present frown on his face as he flexed his raw fingers.

"I am so tired." Chouji whined, moping as he walked next to his best friend. He reached for a bag of food, but had apparently run out at some point in time.

Sasuke refused to acknowledge anyone as his anger simmered. Being relegated to a common laborer, what kind of training was this? He could do this kind of work at his own home, there was absolutely nothing they had done today any different from going it alone. Obviously, they had gotten to stupidest mission there was, and it was most likely the Jounin's fault.

"You guys are just sad." Ino muttered out loud. "We do a little work cleaning up kunai and replacing training logs and you guys wanna complain about every little thing." She had filled in the various places where justus had tore up the ground by herself. Being the only gardener in the group, she knew how to replace any torn up flowers and replant seeds so that it could grow back on its own.

"Speak for yourself, Ino pig." Sakura gave up trying to clean the dirt off, she needed a bath in the worst way. "Just because you like rooting around in the dirt doesn't mean that rest of us do."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, little miss forehead." Ino's temper flared as her childhood nickname was used against her. "I forgot that most of us never had to work a day in their life before. Of course it would be so difficult to clean up after someone else for a change instead of yourself."

Both turned toward each other, stopping in the middle of the street as they shot each other a glare that made lightning shoot from their eyes.

"Well, looks like you guys have been introduced to your first D rank mission. Congratulations." Kakashi's voice made all but Ino and Sakura turn toward the missing teacher, Naruto standing right beside him as the little blonde ninja frowned at Ino and Sakura.

"Did you have any troubles?" Asmua asked as he butted out his cigarette on a power pole before he reached for one of the last few he had left.

"It wasn't without it's problems, but we managed." Kakashi eye smiled as Naruto came over to Ino and Sakura. "Anyways, I have to take Naruto with me after we're finished for the day. The Hokage wants to see him."

As the sounds of the Kunoichi's continuing their argument increased, Sasuke spoke overtop of them. "If D ranks are all like that, I refuse to do any more of them. I have better things to do than to waste my time with repair work."

Kakashi stared at Sasuke for a moment before sighing and scratching the back of his head. "Well, if that's the way you wanna do it, I supposed staying a Genin isn't so bad after all." As Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi, the silver haired Jounin continued. "Sasuke, D ranks are for Genin like you to learn skills that will help you in undercover missions. Not every mission is about hunting down enemy nin and slaying them, sometimes you have to go undercover for months, or even a simple protection mission will require you to bunker down someplace falling apart. You have to learn to have basic skills like a civilians to be able to complete certain missions, otherwise, you're a waste of a ninja and will never amount to anything."

"I need to get stronger to defeat..." Sasuke bit off his retort, garing at the ground in rage. His teammates didn't deserve to know, no one had the right to know.

"Do you know how to survive off the wild? Or were you planning on becoming a nuke-nin and stealing for a living from everyone you come across?" Kakashi asked, giving him a hard glare. "Nuke-nin like that never amount to nothing special and usually live little less than six months after abandoning their village. They have to keep stealing for their survival, so they're easily traced back to where they're hiding at and eliminated."

"Sakura, Ino, please, don't fight each other!" Naruto tried to shout over the two girls as they tried to claw at each other, all semblance of fighting thrown out the window. The blonde jinchuuriki, bless his innocent little heart, was trying to stop his friends from killing each other.

"Naruto, where the hell are you touching me at?!" Which ended up teaching him never to get between two kunoichi as they tried to murder each other.

* * *

"Naruto, I heard about you living out in training ground 44." Sandaime spoke from behind his desk as Naruto sat in the chair in front. Kakashi stood back by the door reading his little orange book as the Hokage talked to him. "I can't have you living in the training grounds, Naruto. You might be mistaken for an invading ninja. You understand what I'm saying, yes?"

"Hai, ojii-san." Naruto stared down at his feet in dejection. He didn't want to upset the man who tried to make his life better, even if all his good intentions just ended up getting him hurt in one way or another.

Sarutobi stared at him for awhile as he pondered Naruto's life quietly. It's amazing how he had not turned on the village yet and killed anyone that crossed his path simply because they were there, but he wondered if that wouldn't change sometime in the near future. Sighing out loud, he pulled open one of the drawers on his desk and reached inside, pulling out an envelope before tossing it onto the tabletop in front of Naruto.

"I may not be able to give you an apartment like last time, Naruto, but I got you something better in the long run." He watched as Naruto opened the envelope and dumped the contents onto the tabletop, watching as a key clattered to the surface. Looking inside, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and looked it over carefully. "Instead, I'm giving you an entire apartment complex, one at the far side of town that no one goes to anymore. It's a bit run down, but its all yours, to do with as you want."

Naruto read the paper before looking down at the key. "All mine?" he asked with a little skepticism.

Sarutobi nodded. "All yours, to do with as you see fit. You can even loan out the rooms to anyone else that you want, or kick out anyone who is causing a problem. It's basically your area to be Hokage of."

Naruto nodded without much enthusiasm and picked the key up before pocketing it. He stood up and bowed to the Hokage with a murmured "Arigato." before turning and heading back toward Kakashi.

"Naruto." Sarutobi called to him, tilting his Hokage hat to shade his eyes. "Are you...alright?"

Naruto turned to address the Hokage when the door burst open, nearly smacking Kakashi in the face as it slammed into the wall and a short kid of about 8 or 9 with a huge blue scarf and some kinda helmet stood aggressively. "Today's the day I beat you, Old Man!" He managed to get two steps into the room before he stepped on his own scarf and tripped himself, face planting into the floor in a painful heap.

"Honored Grandson!" A skinny Jounin wearing black tinted eyeglasses came running in behind the little kid, bowing to the Hokage quickly before kneeling down beside the kid. "Honored grandson, you can't come in and interrupt your grandfather during a meeting."

"Who tripped me?" The kid shouted out as he held his face, peering between his fingers for the culprit that prevented him from becoming Hokage. His eyes snapped around to Naruto and he pointed at him, crying out, "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who tripped me, Confess!"

Naruto stared at him in silence for a moment before turning back to the Hokage. "I'll be going then, alright?"

Konohamaru's jaw dropped. The kid flat out ignored him? Who in the hell did he think he was to ignore him like that?!

"Be careful, Naruto. Enjoy your new home." Sarutobi smiled, giving Naruto a farewell wave.

he was almost to Kakashi when the kid jumped in front of him again and took what looked like an imposing stance, if the kid had a few more years, fifty more pounds, and maybe a scar or two. "You think you can simply ignore me as if I was no one? Do you have any idea who I am?" Naruto blinked down at him with a blank look, oozing unconcerned from every pore. The kid raised a thumb up to himself as he posed dramatically (dramatic pose #37, Heroic Pose) "I'm the grandson of the current Hokage, Sarutobi Konohamaru. What do you have to say about that?"

**"Kill him already,"** Kyuubi snorted as it yawned, totally unimpressed with the kid's antics, **"We have a den to set up, we do not have time to waste on preening kits smaller than you."** Naruto had been molested today, embarrassed in front of him teammates, he'd been cut and had the blood licked up, he did not need this. Still, the kid shouldn't have to die for having grand dreams. **"At least knock him out. We deserve at least that."**

Konohamaru continued to pose, long after he normally would have stopped, his arms and legs were starting to ache for holding the pose for so long. Didn't this idiot understand what he'd been told? He was the grandson of the Hokage, he was supposed to be respected and the guy was supposed to apologize for screwing him up. He continued to grin even as the kid went to raise his hand, obviously to scratch at the back of his head in embarrassment. Closing his eyes, he focused on his hearing, waiting for those ever so sweet words to reach him, only to take a blow to the crown of his head that made him kiss the carpet once again.

"Let's go, Kakashi sensei." Naruto walked past the downed Konohamaru, missing the shocked look on the skinny Jounin's face.

* * *

Ino headed straight to the flower beds out back, not even bothering to throw on her gloves as she kneeled down and started weeding the garden beds out. She had been upset before at Sakura's attitude before they had started their D rank, she was a whole other level pissed by the time they were finished, and she had said that to her? no way was she going to back down from a challenge like that.

Then Naruto had stepped in and tried to prevent a fight from turning into fisticuffs to a full on cat fight, complete with teeth, claws, and screeching. Yeah, she probably shouldn't have risen to the challenge and just blown Sakura off, leaving her to stew, but she wasn't that kind of Kunoichi. Had it been any other time, she probably wouldn't have tore Naruto a new one for putting his hand there. She could now think back about it and at least smirk about how he had done the same thing to Sakura when trying to get them to back off, she just wished she hadn't tore into him instead of that pink...

"Grrrrr..." Ino growled out loud at the thought of her ex friend.

"Something wrong, honey?" Inoichi asked as he stepped into view from the back door of the house/shop. The male equivalent of his daughter, he smiled down at his precious child as she ripped weeds out one at a time.

"More like someone, daddy." Ino growled in hostility. She nearly grabbed a flower instead of a weed and had to physically take hold of herself before continuing. "What did I ever see in Sakura? Was I just being too nice for my own good?"

Inoichi winced. Girl talk, where was his wife when he needed her? "I take it you saw her today."

Ino snorted. "I got Asuma sensei to agree to join Team 7 today." She wasn't too sure if she should mention Naruto right then and there, he wasn't a topic she might be civil about.

Inoichi leaned his head back and thought as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned in the doorway. "That's the team with the Uchiha prodigy, isn't it? You didn't get into a fight with her over the boy, did you?"

"No, daddy, we didn't fight over Sasuke-kun." Ino actually stopped for a moment when she realized that she had barely paid attention to Sasuke at all. Well, he didn't show up for her birthday party, so why should she?

"What did you fight over then?" Inoichi knew enough about psychology to try and help his daughter out with working the problem out both verbally and mentally. Their family techniques were based on mental attacks, psychology was a must for them.

"More like I was extremely disappointed him her." Ino muttered darkly, getting a confused look from her father. Clearing her throat, she explained. "Remember how when I came home last night, I was upset about something?"

Inoichi nodded. "I had assumed you were still put off because of Sasuke didn't come to your birthday party."

Ino nodded. "I met Naruto before coming home, who let slip something that irritated me about his birthday." She heard her father shift in the doorway, but paid it no mind. "I pretty much forced him to tell me that he's been living not in an apartment, but out in one of the training grounds. He ran off before I could get anything else out of him."

Inoichi watched as she started to slow down, her hands now not frantically ripping things left and right from the ground. He frowned that she had been around Uzumaki Naruto, the kid drew attention to him and all of it wasn't good.

"Anyway, this morning I took charge of our team and had them confront Team 7 and Naruto, basically forcing him to come clean about where he's been living at." She looked up at her father with a half serious, half wondering look. "Do you know he's been living out of training ground #44 for the last week?" She shook her head as she continued to work at the garden, now much calmer. "Even his team didn't know that, his sensei seemed to be more surprised than anything."

Inoichi frowned deeper. It traditionally wasn't any else's business about what a person did in their spare time, but from the sound of it, they didn't even confide in each other. If anything, it sounded as if Team 7 was barely a team at all.

"After doing that stupid D rank mission, I blew up at Sakura. She was complaining about cleaning up a training ground we had been assigned to maintain for the day and I just lost it." Her cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment. "If Naruto and his sensei didn't show up right then and there, we would have definitely been trying to really hurt each other."

"That's too bad." Inoichi sighed, scratching at his darker blonde hair. His ponytail that hung down to mid back swayed as he shifted where he stood. "You and Sakura used to be such good friends. Is a boy really worth fighting over?"

Ino stopped what she was doing and looked up at her father with an incredulous look. "It's not just any boy, dad. It's Sasuke-kun."

"The same Sasuke-kun who couldn't be bothered to come see you on your birthday?" Inoichi questioned her with seriousness. He shrugged as he turned around and walked into the house, his open coat swinging as he turned and walked off. "Get cleaned up and changed, we'll be going out to eat tonight."

Ino stood up, patting her hands on her thighs, considering what her father had said to her. Maybe she was fixating on Sasuke, but then again, he was good looking. His attitude sucked, though, which was something she wasn't sure she could blame him for. He lost his family and everyone else who was an Uchiha overnight, literally becoming the only person left of a once thriving and important bloodline. She wasn't nearly as strong as Sasuke, but being ignored by him had been something that stung.

Shaking her head, she walked over to the water hose and rinsed her ahnds off before she went inside, this was going to take some thought if she was going to continue to pursue the boy of her dreams.

* * *

**Well, things are about to shift gears, maybe three or four chapters more, then the Wave Arc shall begin. Yes, I know, they haven't done nearly enough missions yet to even be considered for that job and their teamwork is still atrocious, Don't Fret, I have a plan!**

**What I need now is a decision. I've found that this has worked so far so I'll apply it here. I will be posting a poll in my homepage. Basically, it will center around Haku and Zabuza, and I know that there's huge debate and hardcores out there saying Haku is a boy/girl. Haku could be a hermaphrodite for all I care, but I want to see what people want to see. Anyways, reading the poll will allow you to decide. Hasta Luego, Suckers!**


	8. Oyabun

**All I have to say is that, This one wrote itself.**

**Disclaimer: Even if it writes itself, it's still illegal for me to say that I own it**

* * *

'Blah' Normal Speech

_'Blah'_ Thoughts

**'Blah'** Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**'Blah no Jutsu!'** Jutsu

* * *

"Well, here we are, Naruto." Kakashi said as she stood nonchalantly, staring up at the three story building.

Naruto stood alongside his sensei, looking up a the same building and couldn't quite manage to say something about the building. The Kyuubi, however, had plenty to say.

**"When we go back to see that old man, I want you to strangle his wrinkly old butt for this."** Kyuubi seethed in anger. **"I'll give you all the chakra you could possibly ever need to fight him, but you ARE going to kill that old bastard for this."**

The building was in the loosest sense of the word. There were no windows anymore in any of the apartments, curtains were shredded and flapping in the air if they weren't rotting where they hung. The stench of mildew and mold was apparent from where they stood, most likely because they were standing down wind and Naruto's nose had always been a bit stronger than anyone else's.

"Here's a bucket of cleaning supplies and some gloves." Kakashi said as he handed over said supplies. A bottle of bleach, a sponge, a mop, a few cloth rags, and the gloves were placed next to him. "I hope you enjoy your new home, Naruto. Be sure to at the training ground tomorrow at the usual time." Kakashi had his orange book out and was reading it briefly before leaves whipped up around him and he shunshined away.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in irritation. _'He left me here by myself to do all this work alone?'_

**"This is exactly why demons hold so much contempt for your entire race."** Kyuubi growled, getting angrier at the actions of his container's teacher. **"Even the Oni treat each other as potential allies, you humans make the demons of your world look like a civilized and peaceful race by ostracizing each other. Kami alone knows why you are his favorite."**

Naruto sighed, feeling older than he should be at the work he had to do alone. _'Have you ever met Kami?'_ Naruto asked as he picked a rag out of the bucket and tied it around his face to cut the smell of mold down.

**"I'm the Kyuubi no Youko, why in Kami's name would I know Kami?"** The great fox demon snorted in disgust.

_'Because you'_ Naruto began before being cut off.

**"I was asking why, not speaking from experience."** Kyuubi watched as Naruto got closer to the building. **"Guess now is as good a time to get you started on training."**

Naruto stopped short before going into the first room on the first floor. Kyuubi had mentioned something about training some time ago, didn't it? _'What are you going to teach me? You're a demon fox, hand signs are probably something you've never dealt with before in your life.'_

**"Existence, you pathetic idiot."** Kyuubi snorted once again. **"I'm a creature made out of chakra given form, I've never **_**lived**_** to begin with."**

Naruto didn't understand, and quite frankly, couldn't have cared less. The Kyuubi was inside of him now, and that was that.

**"To begin with, what do you know about Kage Bunshin?"** Kyuubi knew this answer was going to irritate it, but needed somewhere to start.

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he thought about it. _'It's a solid clone technique.'_ he thought almost immediately. Was there supposed to be some point to this?

**"You didn't listen to a thing your sensei said about it, did you?"** Kyuubi growled, clawing the ground inside the seal. It didn't do anything since it was an aspect of the mind, but it made it feel better. **"Kage Bunshin may be a solid variation of the illusions the Kitsune demons can do, but it also has a function that will help you out immensely with this...building."** Kyuubi felt like the word was a bad taste in its mouth, which was something it never had to experience before. This being mortal was going to suck...

_'Help me how?'_ Naruto thought to the demon fox, his patience wearing thin.

**"Think about it, dunce!"** Kyuubi roared at him, then answered before Naruto could think. **"Solid clone technique, meaning that if your holding it or you pour chakra into it, you can create a solid clone variation of anything you want!"**

Naruto looked down at the bucket in his hands. He could really do that? Making clones and all was fine, but he could clone anything? Guess he would have to test that theory out. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** He called out loud, channeling chakra into the hand seal as he held the handle to the pail. Within seconds, 20 other Naruto's all holding cleaning supplies appeared around him, each one of them had a cloth over their face to prevent the mold smell from getting overwhelming.

**"Now that you've gotten that done, let's move on to the next lesson."** Kyuubi snapped, watching his container make to move into the building once again. **"Your Kage Bunshin flat out suck."**

_'WHAT?! How does creating 20 clones just like me with their own cleaning supplies suck?'_

**"Because they barely have any power in them."** Kyuubi explained. **"They have maybe a fingernail's worth of chakra compared to you. They'll disappear in about an hour with all the work we have to do, which makes it pointless to have them around if you have to resummon them all the time."**

_'So what do you want me to do about it?'_ Naruto shot at the Kyuubi in his mind. _'I didn't exactly get a great education, in case you forgot.'_

Kyuubi slammed itself into Naruto's mental image of a cage, making Naruto bite back a curse as his head rang. **"If you'd stop asking questions, we'd be done by now!"** It thought long and hard about attacking the prison doors once again, just for spite. **"In this case, you're going to build up your chakra like you did when you were being tested with those pathetic attempts at Genjutsu. Build up half of your chakra then use Kage Bunshin again."**

Dispelling the current clones, Naruto prepared his reserves for a pulse, then made the hand seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"**

He felt the drain on his reserves as the clones snapped into existence with huge smoke explosions. There were easily 100 Naruto's with their own supplies, dressed exactly like he was. Something was different about them, though.

**"Noticed that, did you?"** Kyuubi was actually impressed Naruto had noticed the difference between his last clones and the current ones. **"I cut off my chakra to you, so that they would be made from your own reserves instead of the mix you've been working with up to this point. They'll have no claws, no fangs, their hair won't be as spiky and they'll be able to pass as you instead of a mix of the both of us."**

Naruto couldn't care less what his clones looked like. The village hated him anyways, there'd be no point making his clones look normal or not. Maybe in a fight, it would make a difference, but that was a long time off. "Alright! Get to Work!" Naruto shouted, fist over his head. He was answered by a shout from all his clothes as they split up, some going in pairs, some going by themselves. He looked back up at the building he now owned. _'This is going to take some time.'_

-

It took a week just to get the smell of mold out. Even after he got the smell out, it took longer to find the places where the pipes had rusted out and the wiring was shot. Even so, he found the one room that had running water and working lights after power had been restored to the building by an outside transformer. It was small, a two room with its own bathroom, Kitchen and living room were pretty much built into one room and the bathroom was little more than a closet with a shower spigot, but it was someplace without grass.

The plastic up in the window frames prevented rain from getting back into the building after he had cleaned the rooms out, though he found out first hand the shadow cloned plastic sheets was a bad idea. Every time he came back, the chakra left in the plastic had either ran out, or the snap one would go through when a hard gust blew across the front of it made it poof out of existence.

He had to take D ranks, solo D ranks, but D ranks none the less. He made three Shadow clones and henged them into Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. Once he got the mission, he was off and doing what needed to be done, except he seemed to suspect that the Hokage knew what he was up to after the first few missions. He was beat afterwards, taking on missions long after there shouldn't have been any D ranks left to take, but he needed the money, and getting off the Hokage for as long as he had left a bad taste in his mouth.

It was the day before his birthday, their team was about to be let out to do whatever it was that they needed to do after their intense training with Team Gai once again when Kakashi made his announcement. "Tomorrow, there will be no training. Enjoy the festival however you want, just don't embarrass yourselves too badly."

Sasuke snorted his contempt about missing practice, stuffed his hands into his pockets and immediately left the training area. Sakura sighed as she thanked Kami the torture was over for today. If she did any more work, she might actually start developing muscles, and wouldn't look frail and helpless, which meant that Sasuke wouldn't worry about her so much during a mission, and that was BAD!!

Naruto was about to head off to the Hokage tower for the next mission to do when Kakashi called out to him. "Hey, Naruto, I need a word with you for a moment." Naruto stopped and turned around, listening to his teammates walking away before Kakashi looked down at him, putting his book away. "I heard from the Hokage that you've been taking on D ranks by yourself."

Naruto blushed and looked down at his feet.

"Look, Naruto, I know that you need to repair your home, but going as Team 7 is going to throw off our records." Kakashi scratched at the back of his head. "I'm not saying that you can't earn money some other way, you just can't do it disguised as us, alright?"

Naruto nodded before heading off, hands in his pockets and eyes aimed at the ground. Kakashi felt bad about it, but the records were there for a reason, if someone masqueraded as a ninja and altered records by their actions, whether for good or not, it was illegal if you lived in the same village as the falsification. Getting a ninja who was supposed to have completed so many missions and didn't usually overestimating a ninjas skills and got them killed.

Truth be told, he had nothing against the poor kid, having the fox sealed in him was bad, losing his father so it could be sealed in him was worse, never knowing his mother was the last straw. Kakashi didn't know how he managed to get through each day. He had lost his two teammates, both he believed to be his fault, and his father and taken the 'honorable' way to redeem the Hatake name in the village. Some days just sucked to be alive, which made him feel worse than he did before.

Tilting his head back to stare up at the sky, Kakashi sighed out loud. "Obito, I wish you were here instead of me. At least then, I would be sure that they were learning something worthwhile."

* * *

Naruto sat at Ichiraku's, wondering what he was going to do next. Unable to do missions unless his team was with him, he was cut off from his main source of income once again. He nearly had enough to repair the pipes in the building, not wanting to spend money here and there since someone might get it into their head that the amount of pipes he had bought would be enough for a building, or for any building for that matter. He'd still have to go under a Henge into any shop that had the supplies he'd need just to get a fair price, but why buy over a period of time and leave a paper trail that could get back to him if he didn't have to?

He couldn't work at Ichiraku's. Even if he put part time work in here, he'd have to work under Henge, which would be darn near impossible as he'd have to actively adjust the illusion for any splashes that would hit him, otherwise, it wouldn't be a believable illusion. No, he'd have to find some other kind of work somewhere else, someplace that wasn't in the public and where he could train at the same time as he worked.

"Something on your mind, Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked as she wiped the counter down beside Naruto's bowl. It was always slow when Naruto ate here, simply because no one wanted to eat with a demon child.

Naruto frowned. Yeah, he wanted to tell Ayame, she was the next best thing to a sister to him, but he didn't want her to worry about him, which she tended to do on a regular basis. "Nah, just kinda down, Ayame chan." He shook his head at her before returning to eating his meal.

"I don't see why you should feel down, it's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?" Ayame asked him, wondering if he would enjoy the gift she got him this year.

"That's kinda why I'm down." Naruto muttered to himself. Ayame heard him mutter, but wasn't paying close enough attention to hear him completely.

"You are planning on coming over here tomorrow, aren't you?" Ayame asked him, wringing the washcloth out before damping it and rubbing down the wooden counter some more.

"Think I'll just stay home, Ayame chan." He didn't tell her he had been thrown out of his apartment, which meant more than likely that she would go find him for his birthday. "Hey, Ayame chan, I got a new place to live, so don't go to my old place, kay?"

"Oh, you mean you were kicked out of that apartment then?" Ayame asked sweetly, making Naruto cringe. Apparently, she already knew. "So, where are you living this time, and is it a better place than the last one?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. He was going to catch hell when she got off work, he just knew it. "Um, actually, I'm still kinda fixing it up. Hokage jii-san kinda gave me this huge apartment building as my own, but he didn't tell me it was all run down and stuff."

She gave him an unreadable look. "He gave you an apartment complex all to yourself and neglected to mention that the place needed fixing?" Sometimes, she wondered about the Hokage and if he wasn't going senile, especially with all the neglect Naruto went through all the time. "How much do you have finished?"

Naruto thought for a moment as he assessed everything in his head. "Well, I'm using a room on the ground floor right now, the rest of them need pipes replaced, wiring repaired or replaced, carpets and curtains, basically, the entire place needs to be redone."

"Naruto, that's not something a little kid should be doing by themselves." Ayame chided Naruto, who frowned at her.

"I'm only two years younger than you, Ayame chan. If you're not a kid, than neither am I." He crossed his arms in front of himself and pouted.

Ayame sighed as she watched Naruto sulk. "That right there just proves that you're still a kid." Naruto sniffed as he turned his head from Ayame. Sighing, she decided to make a concession. "Alright, how about this. If I go with you to your building and see the work you've put in for yourself, I'll consider thinking of you as adult instead of a child, fair enough?"

Naruto wasn't sure if this was a good idea. It would mean being acknowledged by Ayame that he was an adult, if he showed her where he lived, but if he did, then she could find him whenever he wasn't training or on a mission. This was going to take some thought, and he wasn't going to be able to do that around here.

"Maybe once I got everything fixed." Naruto answered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what money he could spare before placing it on the counter and waving his farewell, leaving a slightly stunned Ayame and a half eaten bowl of ramen sitting at his seat.

He walked through the streets heading back to his new home, thinking about how he was going to make the money. He had briefly considered robbing the places that had overcharged him all of his life, but threw that out harshly. He may have been desperate, but he wasn't so desperate as to give people a legitimate reason to hate him. That would be the last thing he was going to need.

He walked by a fenced area, not really paying attention to his surroundings when he was almost forced to notice when his stealth training screamed at him to pay attention. He stopped and looked at the wall, looking at the one section of wall where the wooden slats were running side to side on an up and down wall. No ninja could be so bad as to not realize that their disguise didn't match the background they were up against, could they?

Naruto reached over and grabbed the sheet painted to look like the wall, pulling it away hard and jerking the little kid with it as they were too surprised to let go and fell on their face.

"Hey!" The kid shouted as he got to his hands and knees, holding his face. "You didn't have to pull so hard, ya jerk!"

Naruto stared down at a yellow shirt framed by an oversized blue scarf, brown hair sticking up out of a hole in the helmet. He could swear this kid looked familiar.

"Heh, heh," The kid smirked as he rubbed a finger under his nose, "I can understand your reaction to my perfect disguise and all, since my name is going to be the most famous name in all of Konoha when I become Hokage!" The kid jumped to his feet and assumed pose #65, Lord-of-All-He-Surveys pose.

"Who are you again?" Naruto asked, causing the kid to face plant in shock.

"What do you mean, 'Who am I'?" The kid shouted at the top of his lungs, pointing a thumb back at himself as he leaned in toward Naruto, taking pose #17, the Vengeful pose. "You're the one who tripped me in the Hokage's office!"

Naruto stared at the kid with his patented blank look before he turned his head to the sky in thought. The kid in front of him shook in anger as Naruto continued to think before Naruto looked back at him. "You gonna tell me who you are, or not?"

Konohamaru blew up and charged at Naruto this time, whipping out in all slowness his wooden kunai as he gave a battle yell to end all battle yells. Unfortunately, he had to whip his scarf up to get to his pockets and as he was in the process of running at Naruto, the scarf wrapped around his face, but that wasn't going to stop him! The sudden rock that appeared out of nowhere and caused him to trip, however, did have something to say about it as he rolled end over end past Naruto before coming to a hard stop against the very wall he had tried to hide behind before.

Naruto moved the scarf off the kid's face to see if he was alright and, making sure that he wasn't in any real harm, made sure to put the scarf back over the kid's swirly eyes, putting the tarp over top of him to hide him from his enemies. Didn't want the kid getting hurt, after all.

"Honorable Grandson!" Naruto was knocked over and into his own section of wall as the skinny Jounin from before with the black glasses pushed him bodily to the side as he rushed to the aid of Konohamaru. "How dare you treat the Hokage's grandson like this, you insufferable creature!" The man shouted, pointing his finger grandly at Naruto who had managed to pull his face from the wall and give a baleful glare at the Jounin.

**"Kit, if you don't kill that bastard right now, I'll make sure to give you a headache you won't soon forget."** Kyuubi snarled, wanting blood and lots of it.

Naruto slipped into a ready stance as Konohamaru shook his head, clearing the cobwebs out.

"Oh are you challenging me, little Genin?" The man pointed at Naruto grandly, flourishing in place. His green vest was zipped up for full protection purposes over top of his full body ninja garb. "You should know that I am Ebisu, a Tokubetsu Jounin and trainer of many a great ninja! I have heard of you and your so called skill, passing you with your low class ability, the schools must be desperate for graduates!"

**"Oh, that it."** Kyuubi was frothing at the mouth. **"He wants to see a low class skill, I'll show him low class. Kit! Use a Henge, right now!"**

Naruto wanted to use anything but a Henge on this prick who was belittling him. Something with lots of power, something flashy, something with enough destructive force to level Hokage Mountain. Anything but a Henge! Still, the fox was pissed, and could make his life a living hell.

Forming the ram sign, Naruto shouted, **"Henge!"** and was immediately covered in clouds of jutsu smoke.

Ebisu, Tokubetsu Jounin and trainer of more than one elite graduate from the academy smiled darkly as he prepared to attack, prepared to take down whatever came out from it. His jaw dropped the moment a buxom blonde girl started to appear from inside the clouds of smoke, the wisps barely covering the naughty places on a woman's body as she smiled demurely over at him. She bit down on her thumb in worry, her eyes tearing up in an exquisite light blue as she twisted to the side in shyness. "Please," the girl's voice begged, "be gentle with me. It's my first time..."

Blood rocketed the man over Konohamaru and through the fence as his nose achieved lift off velocity as he gushed from both of his nostrils. The sounds of a hard impact followed by incoherent babbling and perverse giggling soon followed.

Naruto changed back into his original form, embarrassed and pissed off at the fox who was laughing uproariously in his head. _'What the Hell, Kyuubi? That was uncalled for!'_

**"Bwahahahahaha!!"** Kyuubi didn't even bother answering him, enjoying the sight of blood as it poured out of his victim and the fact that the kid had absolutely no control over himself when under _that_ jutsu. **"You humans are so pathetic! Can't even stand the look of the opposite sex without all those skins you wear, Who's got the low class skill now?"** The Kyuubi launched back into insane laughter, making Naruto feel sick to his stomach over what the fox did to him in that henge. He left before anything else came up, or the man recovered, take your pick.

Konohamaru looked through the hole in the wall at his knocked out sensei then back at the departing blonde. "Sensei..." He drawled out as his eyes started to get very bright.

* * *

"But Nai chan..." Anko whined as they headed down the street to, by now, a very familiar vet clinic.

"But nothing." Kurenai snapped as she stormed down the street, making people move from in front of her just by her heated gaze alone. "You're going to apologize and that's that."

Anko frowned even harder, though it didn't do any good since the woman she was frowning at couldn't see her face. She didn't feel sorry in the least bit for what she did, why did she have to apologize for what she needed to do?

Kurenai didn't waste any time as she opened the door to the vet's and stepped inside quickly, but not before shooting a stare at Anko that seemed to tell her that if she tries to run from this, she would be very disappointed in her friend.

"Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Hana asked as Kurenai came storming into her business. She stood idly behind the desk having just taken care of the Fire Daimyo wife's cat after an especially rough D rank had 'hurt' her precious. The 'hurt' had apparently been the loss of it's ribbon on its tail, but that more than enough justification for the Fire Daimyo to come in and demand her time to fix her precious.

Not like she had anything else to do.

Another woman walked in behind Kurenai, someone she had heard about, but never met until now. The purple hair was a clue in, but the brown trench coat and leather skirt that barely hid anything were also about what the rumors said. That she was in the presence of Kurenai and looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but here was a good indication as well. Both Sanae and Kanae started growling, turning to keep the woman in front of them so that there were no surprises from them.

"So," Hana reached into her medical coat pockets as she addressed the purple haired woman, "You're the one who managed to subdue two of my partners at once." She watched as Anko full body twitched as Hana's gaze bored into her. "That's pretty impressive. Even one of my girls can pin a full grown man to the ground and finish him before he knows what happened. You have to be either very skilled, or very foolish to come back into my business."

_'How about being punished?'_ Anko thought to herself as she glared hatefully at her red eyed friend.

"Anko is here to make an apology, aren't you, Anko?" Kurenai explained, emphasizing the last as she stared her friend down in a battle of wills.

Hana watched the two women stare at each other for a moment before glancing down at Mikoto before looking back up at Anko. "Exactly, what is your problem with Uzumaki Naruto?"

Anko physically flinched as if she had been punched, breaking her glare at her best friend. She looked away from everyone with a look of misery on her face that she didn't want anyone to see before she spoke. "I don't have a problem with him." She muttered piteously, nearly whining. "It's just that he reminds me so much of myself."

"The part where he runs around nearly naked, or the part where the whole village hates him?" Hana asked coldly, raising an eyebrow at Anko's full body shiver.

"It's not his fault." Anko started weakly. "He hasn't done anything wrong and this entire village treats him worse than garbage." She looked up at Hana with a hateful gaze. "I'm used to being treated like garbage. I lived with that Hebi teme for years being cast aside as he worked on his experiments, even wanting to experiment on me when he could get his hands on me, but Naruto's done nothing wrong! Why does he have to be treated like he is?!"

Kurenai looked shocked at her best friend, seeing for the first time a clear cut emotion other than distain or the happy mask she wears on her face around everyone. "Anko chan..." Kurenai uttered in surprised.

"This village should go to hell for what they've done to him!" Anko wasn't finished venting, not by a long shot. "The people spit on him in the street daily, the ninjas take any opportunity they can to accept an assassination order from anyone on the council to try and kill him, and even if there isn't a job offer, a suggestion that they'll stand in a better light and possible promotion makes any of those greedy bastards come after him!"

Anko fought hard to bury the tears. She had been treated with indifference since she came back to Konoha so many years ago, passed over time and time again for promotion, not even allowed to train whoever she wanted as many of the other Tokubetsu Jounins were allowed to do when not on a mission. She wasn't even allowed to protect someone who in many ways lived a harder (but not by much) life than she had. To see her home village treat one of their own like the Snake Sannin treated her made her want to go on a killing spree.

Hana mulled that over quietly as the purple haired woman got herself back under a somewhat better control. "Alright, I suppose I can accept that." She spoke aloud as she gave Anko a considering, though slightly approving, look. "Now, you mind telling me why you had to hog tie my two partners?"

Anko pouted for a moment before she got a devious grin on her face. "They were taking a bath with my fishcake."

"So?" Hana asked, fingering the scalpel in her pocket.

"If anyone's going to bathe with my fishcake, it's going to be me." Kurenai spun around and gaped at her best friend. "I'll make sure I get that dirty little fox all nice and clean."

"Anko!" Kurenai shouted at her friend. "He's just a kid!"

"He's a Genin." Anko said, smiling at her best friend. "In the eyes of the ninja world, he's an adult. In my eyes, he's not quite an adult, but I can fix that."

"You will do no such thing!" Kurenai's killer intent started to rise from her unconsciously as she narrowed her eyes at Anko.

"It's alright, Nai chan." Anko came over, cupping her hands to Kurenai's face as she leaned in close, shocking Kurenai so bad that her killer intent stopped. "I'm not about to take my best friend's boy toy away from her before she's had her fun. We'll share him!"

As Anko leaned in to kiss Kurenai, the sound of the vet clinic doors opening made everyone stop and stare at the intruder. The five foot frame of Naruto standing in the open doorway staring at the two Jounin women about to kiss in front of Hana and her friends took on a surreal moment as time seemed to stop before Naruto scratched the back of is head.

"On second thought," Naruto said, breaking the moment, "this was a bad idea anyways." He slid the door close while everyone reamined frozen in place.

* * *

**"That is what I'm becoming?"** Kyuubi grumbled to itself as Naruto leapt away from the veterinarian clinic. **"How does your species manage to exist when they breed with their own sex? It's just physically impossible."**

Naruto didn't answer, or in fact, couldn't. He had known that the crazy snake lady liked Kurenai sensei in that fashion, but to do it in front of Hana? Maybe they were trying to bring the Inuzuka woman into their own little group.

**"Damn that Yondaime for sealing me inside of you."** Kyuubi hissed in anger. **"He's cursed me to a fate worse than death."**

_'How do you figure that?'_ Naruto thought to the demon fox.

**"Did you not see those females inside of that building?"** Kyuubi asked him in irritation. **"If I'm changing into a physical form, I'll have to change into a man or a woman. Since I'll have millenia of repressed urges to breed, I'm going to..."**

_'Wait, how long?'_ Naruto stopped where he was, staring off into space on the edge of a rooftop.

Kyuubi sighed. **"Time has never meant anything for me or my ilk."** Kyuubi explained. **"By taking a physical form, I will be pulled into time's orbit until my physical form rots away and releases what is left of my true form. I have been alive longer than you knuckle draggers have been, much longer."**

Naruto shuddered at where the fox was going.

**"When I become 'human' in the loosest sense of the word while still trapped inside of you, I will have the need to mate."** Kyuubi shivered in horror. **"I have never needed to mate, being an entity of power and not of flesh. You are going to make me want to rut."**

_'If I start doing perverted things because of you, I swear to Kami...'_ Naruto threatened only for the fox to scoff at him.

**"And what can you do to me?"** It sneered at him. **"You are as much my cell as I am the prisoner. A cell cannot hurt the one that it contains, and the one being contained cannot hurt it's cell."**

"Oyabun!" The sound of a kid shouting at Naruto from below made him look down. The same kid that had been in that side street behind the sheet waved at him, trying to get his attention.

_'Isn't that?'_ Naruto asked mentally before jumping down to the street below, landing next to Konohamaru.

"Oh man, I thought I'd never find you." The kid panted, placing his hands to his knees and breathed raggedly. "Please, Oyabun, you gotta teach me that super cool jutsu!"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the kid. "Oyabun?"

"Of course!" Konohamaru announced, clenching his fist. "You defeated my teacher, so that makes you my Oyabun!" Flopping down on his knees, he clasped his hands together and looked up at Naruto with worshipful eyes. "Please, you gotta teach me that super cool move! It's the only chance I got for defeating my grand father!"

Naruto shivered at the thought of the Hokage acting like that closet pervert in the alley. If the Hokage acted just like that guy...

"We need to talk." Naruto spoke firmly, motioning for Konohamaru to follow him. "Let's go someplace where we won't be seen, or heard."

* * *

"Anko, it's your-" Yuugao shunshined into the vet clinic looking for her partner, only to freeze at the scene.

Hana was sitting on the counter, Mikoto's muzzle laying in her lap as she stood in front of Hana, hiding whatever Hana had on, if she had anything on underneath her partner. Sanae and Kanae had ahold of Anko's long coat, pulling it back as they dug their legs in. Kurenai was also standing behind Anko, only she was trying to hold back a murderous Anko from reaching Hana, though with her hands grabbing ahold of Anko's chest the scene looked very different from what it was.

Kurenai and Hana looked over at Yuugao while Anko shouted. "How dare you sleep with my Fishcake!"

Yuugao sweat dropped.

* * *

"Ok, before I show you that," Naruto shuddered as he remembered it, "henge I used, I have to see how well you can do it on your own."

"What do you mean, Oyabun?" Konohamaru asked s he turned his head from side to side, looking at the overgrown training ground around them.

"I mean, I need to see your skill in Henge." Naruto said as he crossed his arms, staring down at the kid. "If your going to try to do a henge, I need to see how well you can do it."

"Right!" Konohamaru took a large stance and clasped his hands in the ram sign before shouting, **"Henge!"**

Naruto waited as the cloud of smoke started to fade away before the ugliest woman in Fire country appeared. What hair there was was tied back into a tight pineapple at the back of an oversized head. The eyes were all wrong, looking to be eye smiling even though they were open and looking at him over a pair of puffy lips and a face with no nose. The body wasn't much better, it was overweight and bulging everywhere, making the clothes look way too tight. The fact that the henge was posed in a provocative stance made Naruto want to hurl even more.

**"If I turn into something like that, I'll drive you to suicide! Do you hear me?!"** Kyuubi howled in the back of Naruto's head, going crazy with disgust.

Konohamaru released the henge, already grinning in victory at his great skill and was rubbing his nose with one finger. "So, Oyabun, how'd I do?"

Naruto mulled how he was supposed to respond. Heck, the kid had tried his best, or he assumed he had. Taking a deep breath, Naruto finalized exactly what he was going to say. The fist that knocked Konohamaru was ten times harder as it was in the Hokage's office, making the dirt taste that much sweeter. "If you ever do something like that again where I can't bleach my eyes out, I'll kill you." Naruto calmly announced.

"What?" Konohamaru pulled his face up out of the hole it had made when Naruto had bashed him into it. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Kid," Naruto asked as he leaned down into Konohamaru's face, "Where'd you even get that image from?"

"Well..." He wondered if he should say his inspiration came from that woman his uncle was trying to date. Erring on the side of wisdom that told him to zip his lip, he just shrugged weakly.

Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "You do know that a Henge is only as good as the chakra you put into it to create it with the image you think up, right?"

**"You mean, you actually learned something in that monkey house they called a school?"** Kyuubi uttered, shocked that his host actually remember anything at all.

"It is?" Konohamaru uttered, before realizing he was saying he didn't know that. "I-I mean, O-Of course it is!"

Naruto internally winced at the kid, he was reminded way too much of himself by his antics. Naruto reached into his leg holster and pulled out a shuriken, holding it by the ring at the center of the weapon. "It's a lot like shuriken practice." Naruto took hold of one of the blades before flicking it behind him, over his shoulder. The weapon arched upwards, seeming to dodge around tree limbs it should have cut through before coming back down and embedding itself in a tree a few hundred feet behind him.

"Whoa..." Konohamaru was awed by the skills his Oyabun showed in throwing a shuriken.

**"Try doing the same thing with a kunai."** Kyuubi smirked, getting a growl from Naruto.

"If you can't picture it in your head, then the chakra you use is just wasted." Naruto didn't imagine he was saying the same thing Tenten had told him when it came to visualization practice with his kunai. He was going to have to thank her for this.

"There you are, Honored Grandson." Ebisu shouted as he fell into the training area from above, appearing out from nowhere. He pushed his eyeglasses back up on his face as Naruto turned around quickly and stared at the man he had most recently defeated. "Come with me right now, Honored Grandson. You shouldn't be in the same presence as _him_." Ebisu wanted to sneer at Naruto, but he couldn't do that in front of the Hokage's grandchild. He was still impressionable, after all.

"Not today, Ebisu." Konohamaru placed his hands into the ram seal as he concentrated. Chakra seemed to spin around his arms, hips, shoulders and knees just before he shouted, **"Henge!"**

A poof of smoke and a change later. Konohamaru was looking down at his newly changed self. He had taken the form of a young woman somewhere in her mid teens, with a busty chest and narrow hips, though his hair was put up into springy brown pigtails that defied gravity. His clothing had transformed into a swimsuit that melded itself to his form.

"Wow, I actually did it!" Konohamaru's voice had even changed, being slightly higher and very girlish.

"You!" Ebisu pointed at Naruto as he staggered back in shock. "You taught the Honorable Grandson that hideous technique! How dare you sully his innocence with your perversions!"

"Who are you calling a pervert, you closet pervert?" Naruto shouted as he pointed back at Ebisu. "You wanna fight that badly, I'll give you a fight! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!"**

Multiple Naruto's popped into existence around Ebisu, all of them looking pissed at what the man had called the first Naruto. "I had heard that you had mastered an A ranked Kinjutsu, but you have to be kidding me." Ebisu smirked as he pushed his glassed back up with his index and middle finger as he seemed to peer down his nose with a sneer. "I'm a Tokubetsu Jounin, and you're a fresh from the academy Genin. How do you even begin to think you're going to beat me?"

"You get what you ask for." Naruto shot back as his fingers took the Ram seal. **"Henge!"**

Ebisu didn't have a chance as all the Naruto clones turned into the blonde buxom version he had inadvertently taken before when Kyuubi had changed his henge. Each of the now girl clones ran up and rubbed themselves coyly against Ebisu's body, which had frozen up in shock and surprise as his jaw dropped. Unfortunately for Naruto, he had forgotten that Kyuubi seemed to influence him when he was in this form.

"Ebisu-sama." The original in his female clone form took a pouty look as she rubbed up against Ebisu's chest. "We've been very bad girls. Are you going to... "the clone gasped then moaned in a sexy manner up into Ebisu's face as it neared his mouth, "spank us?"

Ebisu's response was an explosion of blood from his nose that put the last time to shame. He had enough force from the sudden geyser of blood to break the trunk of a tree before falling unconscious at its base, twitching and mumbling in his dreams.

The henge dispersed along with all the 'Naruko' clones as Naruto's henged form evaded the sudden gusher of blood. Looking in disgust at the fallen Ebisu, he shook his head while the fox laughed uproariously.

"Wow, Oyabun, that was totally cool!" Konohamaru shouted at the top of his lungs as his henge dispersed as his concentration lapsed. "When I become Hokage, you're gonna be my #1 ninja!"

Naruto winced. He needed to nip this kid's idol worship in the bud right now before it got any worse. "Look, Konohamaru. You want to become Hokage, right?"

"Of course, I do!" Konohamaru posed as he placed his fists on his hips. "The Hokage is the most powerful ninja in all of Konoha! Only then will people call me by my name instead of the 'Honored Grandson'."

Naruto nodded. "If you're going to be Hokage, then you can't have an Oyabun."

Konohamaru dropped his pose with a shouted, "Nani?! But why not?"

Naruto scratched a whiskered cheek. "Well, think about it. Hokage jii-san doesn't have an Oyabun, does he?" The kid shook his head. "Then you can't either. Hokage's don't have Oyabun, they have rivals."

"Rivals?" Konohamaru tilted his head to the side as he thought about what he was being told.

"Yeah, you know, people who want to be the next in line to become Hokage." Naruto reasoned. "You keep trying to take Hokage jii-san's place, so there's got to be others."

"Yeah, I guess, you're right." Konohamaru sighed greatly. "But I can't even beat you, let alone jii-san." Konohamaru suddenly came to a realization as he pointed at Naruto. "I know! From now on, You're My Rival!" Konohamaru shouted loud and hard enough that you could practically hear the capitalization of those words. "I''l gauge my strength off of you. If I can beat you, then I'm strong enough to be Hokage. Man, this is going to be great!"

Before Naruto could say how much of a bad idea that was, Konohamaru pointed grandly at him. "So, my arch rival! I will gain strength and learn everything I can to become the next greatest Hokage in the village. You better be prepare yourself, ah?" Konohamaru suddenly drew a blank as he slumped out of one of his forms. Scratching the back of his head, he asked, "What was your name, anyways?" Naruto face planted in the dirt.

"You went this long with me and you don't even know my name?! What are you, an idiot?" Naruto shouted, pointing at Konohamaru in anger.

"It wasn't important at the time." Konohamaru chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head as he stuck his tongue out in embarrassment.

Naruto blankly stared at him before shaking his head. "Whatever. Show me what kinda ninja you are by learning my name the hard way. I'm outta here." He jumped up into the trees, disappearing from Konohamaru's sight quickly.

"Ah, wait!" Konohamaru called, arm held out after his departing 'rival' before clenching his fist in front of himself. "I'll show you. I'll show all of Konoha. I will become a great ninja. JUST YOU WAIT!!"

* * *

Anko closed the door behind her with a great sigh. Kami hated her today, that had to be the reason for everything that happened to her. Kurenai making her apologize to the dog woman, Yuugao coming in during that whole embarrassing moment. She wasn't going to live this one down without the help of a whole lot of alcohol, enough to wipe away long term memory and help preserve corpses after they die.

She hung her coat over the recliner she owned in her place. a small three room apartment she kept all to herself. A few pictures were around the room, most of them with Kurenai when they had been younger, pictures she at the time didn't want taken, and now wouldn't be without. That bastard had really screwed her up after she had left Konoha. Oh sure, he trained her to be the best at what she did, but she had to kill a lot of herself to stay sane, even after he had thrown her out of his headquarters after giving her his final parting 'gift'.

She headed into her bathroom and flipped the light on, looking into the mirror and just past the mesh that covered her shoulder to the mark. The stain she could never remove from herself no matter what. It would throb sometimes, whenever she thought the bastard had come back to Konoha for 'supplies', but she could never find him, and she wished to many a dark Kami that she could have just five minutes with the bastard.

Sliding out of her mesh and leather skirt, she left them on the floor as she climbed into her shower, turning the water on before waiting for it to heat up. She needed something cold right now, something to keep the heat down. _'Nai chan didn't have to grip them that tightly'_ Anko thought to herself as she cleaned her body with all due care.

If anyone truly knew the Snake Mistress and resident torture expert, they'd know that she was a person who believed in pure love, whether it be between a man and a woman, or between two women. She didn't believe in love between two men though, that meant less for her. Yes, Anko had been unduly turned on by Kurenai's efforts to keep her from throttling that Hana Inuzuka woman, so what? She kinda liked it when it hurt a little.

_'Can't think like that, or it's gonna be another one of __those__ nights again.'_ Anko shook her head as she turned the hot water down a little bit more. She wasn't a loose woman in any sense of the word, contrary to the way she dressed. She liked showing off what she had, but that didn't mean she went around and 'shared the wealth' with everyone. There's love, and then there's being a slut, and Mitarashi Anko was anything but a slut, thank you very much.

Kurenai was a stick in the mud when it came to bedroom games. The woman was a prude, plain and simple. She loved her friend to death, but she really needed to get that stick out of her...

She shook her head, breaking that line of thought. She shouldn't think of her friend like that, no matter how true it was. There'd come a day when Kurenai would come to her for advice, and she'd give her a piece of her mind, alright, though she wouldn't tell her how much of that advice was wishful thinking or just the dreams of the adolescent mind.

"God, almost 20 years old. Life sucks sometimes..." Anko spoke to herself as she turned the water off and climbed out of the shower, reaching for a towel hanging next to her. There wasn't a whole hell of a lot she could do, she had looked around for awhile, but with the cold shoulder she had gotten from most of the ninjas around Konoha, that had turned her off from socializing with many of those her age.

When she had been working in ANBU, she had gotten to watch the blonde container more than any other operative. She heard about him and about the demon he was, even going so far as to claim that he was a confirmed psychopath waiting for his next great slaughter like when the Demon Fox had come to Konoha and killed everyone.She had figured that if she was going to kill that snake bastard, she would need to test herself against something near godlike, and the Kyuubi was the closes thing she could hope to find.

Only it was all a lie. He wasn't anything they had whispered about behind closed doors. He barely survived on the street, only going to the ramen shop back door long after business was closed and they were closing for the day before sneaking off in the night. He was let to sleep in the Inuzuka compound when he was thrown out of whatever shit hole they gave him to live in at the time. He was even hunted down in the streets and nearly beat to death if she didn't stop those mobs of villagers.

Being ANBU, she wasn't allowed to take anyone in, and Naruto needed someone to take him in. She needed to be ANBU, though. Where they could watch her, observe her for any hidden agendas that she may have, or if she was an agent of the Hebi teme. She made it three years before turning her mask in to the Hokage, two years shy of making her mandatory five year term. She'd be stuck as a Tokubetsu Jounin with no hope of rising higher, but she could live with that, as long as she could help him.

Walking into her tiny kitchen, she walked past the table made for two as she reached into the fridge and pulled out an uneaten dango stick, munching on the treat before retiring back to her bedroom. It was her house, she could walk around naked if she wanted to.

Walking to the closet in the bedroom, she opened it up and pulled out a doll nearly the size of an eight year old. The fact that the doll was orange all over with a red swirl on its back would have been downright freaky if not for the fact that the child size doll had bright blue eyes and whiskers marks sewn into its cheek. It was still unfinished as the blonde 'hair' hadn't been stitched down yet, only being held in by the pins at the crown of its head.

Taking a seat on her bed, she leaned her back up against the wall as she placed the doll between her legs and reached over to the night stand for her sewing kit. She had worked at this for a long time, getting the details just right as she made it herself. She didn't want Kurenai to see this, it would freak her best friend out so far that they'd have Inoichi do a psyche evaluation on her. She didn't want to have to wear the title of 'Pedophile' on top of the title 'Snake Whore'.

She hummed quietly as she stitched her way around the head, sewing the yellow fur into the crown as she went. This was her one indulgence she enjoyed doing the most, kinda creepy, but she was into creepy, it generally unsettled people and she got so much more information out of a person when she was 'creepy'. She took the pins out one at a time until she had pulled the last one and bit off the thread fter making a knot so it wouldn't unravel itself.

"There we are, my own little fishcake!" Anko squealed in delight as she hoisted her finished product of Naruto into the air, the dopey grin and blue eyes staring down at her. "You're not going to be a messy fishcake, are you?" Anko asked it as she poked it where its nose would be at. "I only like one of my fishcakes messy, so you'll just have to be the good one, ok?"

The doll didn't respond, but then, it didn't have to as Anko wrapped her arms around it and pulled it into her body, squeezing it tightly to her. "If only you were a real boy." Anko cuddled it for a bit longer before stroking its 'hair'. "Heh, if you were, you'd have to sleep out on the couch. Can't have you molesting an older woman in your sleep." Anko smiled brightly before frowning darkly. "Older woman..." She muttered to herself before making a disgusted sound.

She pulled the covers down and climbed under them, making sure to have her 'Naruto' doll with her as she tucked it into her body before reaching up and flicking the switch. Kissing the doll's cheek, she made a contented sigh as she nuzzled it against her, stroking the whisker marks slowly. "If only you were real..."

* * *

**Any pervert wants to come crying to me about Anko actually being a loose woman, I got a fire jutsu just for you...**

**Remember that the poll is up in my Profile for the Wave Arc Mission. This will be coming in about three more chapters, so make your decisions now. I have ways of making it work in either direction.**

**Also to be noted, Although they are young now, they will be at least close to 15 before they take the Chuunin exam. This will open up the possibility of there being a plausible and legal relationship instead of minors making out with each other. PM's are welcome on those thoughts, or post them with your review. I am noting them down as I go...**


	9. Happy Birthday

**Wow, a lot of you have voted for your preference in the Wave Arc, which shows me that you do like how this story is going. As one person commented to me about why bother making the decision, I explain thusly. It has been done all the ways I listed in the poll. I've read how it has been done in every variation, though there are probably a few other variations out there I haven't seen yet. You see this story developing Haku a certain direction even before Haku is introduced, the same with Zabuza living or dying, therefore, I do not do something that totally screws up the pattern the story tells me.**

**I can do the Wave Arc in any direction, it doesn't matter to me, but it should matter to the readers.**

**Disclaimer: No matter if you're a boy or a girl, the rights to this story don't belong to you or me. They belong to someone who had the drive to show us that blonde ninjas kick butt...**

**G.B. : On a personal note, I had an idea for a crossover into Bleach with this Naruto story, but that will be a separate story altogether. It's something that's been rattling my cage for awhile now, but I am going to do nothing with it until I finish this story first. First thing's first and all that...**

* * *

"Blah" Speaking

_'Blah'_ thinking

**"Blah!"** Kyuubi Speech/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** Jutsu arts

* * *

October 10, the day the Yondaime died in sacrifice to kill the Kyuubi on Kitsune. Only he never did kill it, did he? Naruto woke in the early morning hours before the sun was truly up. They called it a false dawn, where the light from the sun would wash through the sky as if the sun was about to come up at any moment.

There was something ironic in that kind of morning, especially on _this_ day of all days.

He got up and left his room quickly, locking the door behind him as best as he could before making his way to the top of the building so he could look across the village. It was peaceful, for now. The last of the decorations were being put up from what he could see from his vantage point.

Hiding here at his home was going to be a bad thing, especially for his home. He needed to get away, but he was a ninja now, which meant he couldn't hide outside of the village, or he'd be considered a nuke-nin. The council would just enjoy signing the papers to make him an outcast, and there would be little the Hokage would be able to do about. He wouldn't hide with the ANBU today, not this year like he had when he had been first thrown out of the orphanage then nearly beaten to death.

He was a ninja, and that meant taking care of oneself when the world was out to try and kill him. Jumping from the roof toward the village, he began his personal mission.

* * *

"Hanabi sama, it is time to go." Neji spoke respectfully as he waited at the gates with Hinata. Hiashi, parent to both of the Hyuga heirs to the main branch, was to meet with them later during the celebration once he and the Hyuga elders had finished discussing the future of the Hyuga line. Neji, being the best ninja of the branch family, had been given the task of guarding both of the girls.

"I am sorry about this, Neji nii-san." Hinata murmured to her cousin, shame emanating from her. She was a ninja, maybe a new one, but she had done her time, learning how to defend herself with her family Jyuuken as well as the ninja academy. To have Neji, of all the branch family, to come with her and her sister during a day of celebration was just...

Hanabi appeared from within the Hyuga grounds, wearing a kimono that any full blooded Hyuga would have called scandalous. Dull violet colored left her alabaster skin and lilac colored eyes looking as if she were a statue given life, the kimono stylized with flame like wisps that flickered along the left hand side of her dress that was inappropriately cut short at the knee, making it way too short for any decent Hyuga to wear in public as it showed off her legs, would give her a chewing out from her father if he ever saw the cloth on her in public.

"Hanabi sama." Neji blushed at the younger daughter of Hiashi for wearing something so daring, and for the beating he was sure to get after today.

Hinata blushed brightly at her sister's choice of clothing. She had felt it necessary to wear conservative clothing, unable to even think about wearing something that showed off her figure in public as her younger sister was. Wearing her clothes baggy, but not enough to hamper her readiness if she had to fight to protect herself, she could only wonder briefly if Naruto would notice her if she wore something so provocative before blushing to her toes.

"Is something the matter, Neji?" Hanabi asked him in that cool tone that the main branch managed to convey when speaking to someone they saw as beneath them.

Neji bowed his head, the pieces of his headband dangling down as if he had grown his bangs out as he averted his eyes to the ground. "No, Hanabi sama. I was about to ask if you were prepared for the celebration."

Hanabi sniffed before walking past her immobile sister and submissive elder cousin. "We are wasting time. We should enjoy ourselves before Father meets up with us."

Neji wasn't about to say anything. Being beaten was worse than having her 'punish' him, the pain would make him wish for death, and Fate still had plans for him. No, he'd take the beating gladly. Watching Hiashi become upset with his progeny would be worth it.

* * *

"That Naruto." Ayame seethed in anger as she manned the counter. Even though business was going to be one of their best today, the teenage girl was ready to dump the first bowl of ramen over someone's head.

"Is something wrong, Ayame chan?" Teuchi asked as he prepared for the day, preparing the broth for the noodles and making sure the stock was ready for the meals.

Ayame adjusted the kerchief holding her long brown hair up and out of the way so that nothing could ruin the meal. "It's Naruto, Tou-san. He didn't show me where his new apartment was." She groused as she placed her elbow on the counter before propping her chin up on it. "How am I supposed to give him his present if he doesn't bother to tell me where he lives?"

Teuchi smiled at his daughter's complaint. Naruto turned thirteen today, Ayame was fifteen, maybe in a few years if Naruto survived his many mission he'd marry her and become his son in actuality instead of wishful thinking. He frowned at the fact that the adoption center refused to allow Naruto to be adopted, but apparently, it was the Hokage's wish or something, he couldn't exactly get an accurate reason from them.

"You know Naruto," Teuchi tried to calm his only child down as she sulked, "he'll be around tomorrow to get it bright and early, just like all of his birthdays before."

Ayame frowned mightily at that. "What kinda of birthday is it if it's late, Tou-san?"

"Is someone having a birthday?" A thin, blonde girl with pale blue eyes dressed in a soft violet kimono with yellow chrysanthemum, morning glory, and rosemary. Her hair was held up in a clip at the back of her head, her sash was replaced with the headband of a ninja of Konoha.

"Ah, I'm sorry, just complaining about a kid I know." Ayame shook her hands in front of herself as she stood up, chuckling weakly.

The blonde girl gave a hesitant smile before looking around at the storefront before frowning. "Excuse me, but isn't this where Uzumaki Naruto comes to eat all the time?" She asked the waitress hesitantly.

Ayame blinked at the girl in front of her before narrowing her eyes at the blonde girl. "I haven't seen him all day so far, ma'am." Her tone was borderline civil, but she felt she needed to protect Naruto, especially when they started coming here looking for him instead of knowing where he was.

Ino frowned before crossing her arms and huffed in frustration. "That's just great. I go over to his apartment that's already under siege by a few hundred villagers to find that he's not there, so I come down to the last place I know he frequents and no one's seen him." She stomped her foot before crossing her arms in front of herself. "I could be spending time with Sasuke, but oh no, not Ino Yamanaka. Had to go and feel sorry for the stupid ramen crazy boy for not having a single birthday celebration on his birthday, so she goes and prepares a whole party for him and she can't even find him. Just perfect..."

"Yamanaka?" Ayame asked, tilting her head to the side as she placed a finger on her chin, trying to recall the name. "Wasn't that the name of the girl that followed Naruto around for about a month a few years ago?"

"Yeah, that's me." Ino sighed as she scratched the back of her head. "Sorry for not introducing myself, I help run the Yamanaka flower shop down the street and a few blocks over."

"So, your trying to throw a party for Naruto?" Ayame asked, slightly confused that someone else was trying to be nice to the blonde.

"You can't really call it a party when the boy of honor doesn't even show up." _'Let alone being the only one who would be there at her house, along with her parents.'_ Ino though to herself. Honestly, she just didn't know Naruto that well, and going around arranging a party for him would have sent the wrong picture to Sasuke. It was still a birthday party, even if she had to be the only one there his age group that would celebrate with him, if she could find him.

"If you see him, please let him know that I'm looking for him?" Ino said as she waved goodbye to the ramen stand girl before heading off into the festival, continuing to look for her blonde haired friend.

Ayame waved after the girl before she stopped, watching as she watched the kimono clad girl walk off into the festival. "Well, it was a nice idea, but if she's going in there, there's no way I'm going to send Naruto into that."

"Ayame, time to get to work." Her father called from the grill, getting ready to cook up some breakfast for him and his daughter.

"Coming, Tou-san." Ayame called as she walked back into the kitchen.

* * *

"I'm sorry to call you in here on your day off, Kakashi." Sarutobi sighed as he gave his hand a break from signing the paperwork that never seemed to end. Kakashi stood in front of his desk in his ninja outfit, hands in his pockets. "I'm afraid that teamwork training may have to be put on the back burners for awhile, if not indefinitely."

"Something that matter, Hokage sama?" Kakashi asked, though he could guess what was troubling the old man.

"The council is pressing me to push Sasuke Uchiha and his squad, but specifically Sasuke, into becoming a better ninja." Sarutobi sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose, a migraine from the Shinigami was already building up. "They're complaining that your team is falling behind the rest of the other teams since Team's 8 and 10 have completed more missions than yours. Even with Naruto masquerading as your entire team and you, which I have to say is a pretty good try for someone just out of the academy, your squads missions scores are lower than what they could possibly be, and they'd like to fast track Sasuke so they can implement the Nidaime's Clan Restoration Act."

Kakshi blinked once as he thought back on the laws. "I thought the Nidaime's law only allowed for a Jounin or, at minimum, a Tokubetsu Jounin to be eligible for the Clan Restoration Act?"

"It does, which is about the only thing that has prevented the council from forcing several marriages of convenience onto Sasuke Uchiha to begin seeding the Uchiha bloodline into the next generation." He shook his head at the council's foolishness. Any child born without love would turn into another Itachi, or worse. "They are going to try to either alter the law for wartime protocols, since we are constantly at odds with Kumo and Iwa, or I suspect that there will be some attempts against you to replace you with someone more...competent."

Kakashi didn't react to the Hokage's worry. "You think they would try something so daring?"

"Most of the council, no." Sarutobi shook his head before giving Kakashi a hard stare. "That doesn't mean that I don't have my doubts about the rest of them, especially Danzou." Sarutobi wanted to spit, the man left a bad taste in his mouth. "He's been the loudest voice to call for Naruto's execution up until now, and I'd bet my position as Hokage that he's been the one hiring the assassins."

"Danzou believes he's a patriot.' Kakashi shifted where he stood, drawing himself up a little bit more. "Patriots tend to do what they think is right for the country, and it rarely works out for the people _in_ the country."

"Indeed." Sarutobi muttered quietly, thinking about the past and of Naruto in general. "I just thought I should inform you of what may be coming."

Kakashi nodded to the Hokage before turning and heading for the door. He had some place he needed to go.

* * *

"Isn't the festival great, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked her teammate again, wanting to do anything she could to hold his arm, but he would ignore all attempts, pulling his arm free from her and giving her an irritated glare everytime she tried. She had worn the specially made red kimono with pink cherry blossoms around the legs. She had washed her shoulder blade length hair in the very good shampoo with the lavender scent to it, why wouldn't Sasuke look at her?

Sasuke was looking for Kakashi. He wasn't here for the festival, he was here to find his sensei for some private training. The Yondaime may have sacrificed himself for the village, but he was an idiot in doing so. He should have trained someone else in the technique like the Sandaime since the guy was old to begin with and have them do the technique that killed the Kyuubi, then the Yondaime could have lived and the old could have died, like they're supposed to do.

Instead of finding Kakashi, though, he was spending his time with the pink pretender of their little group. The girl was seriously weak, the only reason she made it to being a Genin was riding on the coattails of the blonde idiot. That had pissed him off to no end and still did when he was able to create that many clones but had very little ninja skill himself. Although they were all Genin because of Naruto, he wasn't about to thank the blonde Dobe, not even on his or anyone else's deathbed.

There were several Jounin instructors around, even a few Tokubetsu instructors and the occasional Chuunin who were running security for a few of the businesses who could hire the help. He could have asked any one of them for help in finding Kakashi, most all of them had probably heard of their sensei and his tardiness or even about the supposed orange book he read or the gravity defying silver hair would have all been great descriptions, but he would have to ask for help, and an Uchiha never asked anyone for anything.

He stopped long enough to glare at Neji Hyuga, the prodigy of the Hyuga clan and only person to ever best him in a taijutsu match. The Hyuga sneered at him from where he stood, wearing his dark shorts that came down to his knees and the heavy white overcoat that was his moniker ninja clothing while on duty. Sasuke growled in his throat and seethed in anger before whipping his eyes away from his adversary and stormed off, growling softly in frustration. Sakura had the politeness to at least bow to the Hyuga group before chasing after her teammate.

Neji stared after them, watching the back of the Uchiha with it's prominent red and sun and white handled stylized fan on the back of his blue ninja garb as they disappeared into the crowd, wanting the Uchiha to come back. Maybe it would bring the blonde idiot to him if he picked a fight with his teammates, he had a score to settle with the blonde idiot.

"Neji nii-san," Hinata asked hesitantly as she stared after the two that Neji was glaring after, "I-is there so-something w-wrong?"

Neji ground his teeth at the timid way that epitomized the elder of his cousins. It was not Hyuga, and brought shame to them all, but it was the girl's Fate to be a failure. "No, Hinata sama, nothing is wrong." He turned back to address both of his cousins beginning to speak when his eyes narrowed and the veins stuck out as he forced the Byakugan without the hand signs to focus his chakra. "What happened to Hanabi sama?"

"Eh?" Hinata turned rapidly to look for her little sister, only to berate herself for not remembering to activate her own Byakugan. Taking the moment to form the ram sign and focus her chakra around her eyes, she peered in every direction as quickly as she could, but could not find her sister.

Neji cursed to himself. He should have been paying closer attention to the younger one. She had been more like her father, always going and doing what she thought was her business, especially when others thought it was bad for her to do them alone.

"We need to find her immediately." Neji ordered his cousin. "She couldn't have gone too far. Spread out and meet back here in a few minutes." Neji ran off, keeping his Byakugan on as he peered everywhere at once to look for Hanabi.

Hinata hesitated for a brief moment before heading off in the other direction, hoping her sister had not been captured by enemy ninja.

* * *

Hanabi continued to head away from the festival. That would be the first place everyone would be looking for her, so it was the first place to avoid. She walked past Hokage tower and past the business quarter, heading for Hokage Monument. She could watch all of Konoha from up there, seeing from every angle anyone who could possibly come after her, then get away before they'd noticed she had been there.

She hated being the princess of the Hyuga, the second daughter of Hiashi Hyuga. She was the better sister in terms of attitude and skill with the Jyuken, and yet they forced her to train harder than Hinata, putting her to a higher standard than the more meeker of the two. It wasn't fair and she could care less if she was captured at that moment in time, she just wanted to get away from all of them.

Hokage Monument was not someplace somebody would be going in the early morning celebrations of the passing of the Yondaime and the death of the nation's greatest threat, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It was most notoriously known for being a place where teenagers and adults went to at nights to hold hands and talk with each other in secret, or at least, that's what the rest of the kids said in school. Why it was necessary for adults to come up to the top of Hokage Monument to talk in the middle of the night was beyond her, and it seemed beneath herself to ask anyone why.

Figuring that she should avoid any of the streets as she came closer to the edifice, she cut through one of the empty training fields. Well, it wasn't totally empty as there was this one silver haired ninja standing in front of the warrior's memorial, a stone planted in the ground with the names of fallen ninja carved into it, so that everyone could remember those that had been lost during missions and war time.

She activated her Byakugan carefully, trickling chakra in as slow as she could manage until her eyes fully activated before she looked around. She learned the hard way that a partially activated Byakugan made everything look really weird, she had nearly become violently ill until she learned how to activate them without becoming sick.

No one but the silver haired Jounin was standing before the rock, apparently talking to the ghosts of ninjas who he knew, mentioning briefly an Obito and a Rin, whoever they had been. Probably deserved to die, seeing as the silver haired Jounin was running around with one of those perverted books.

Well, maybe she was being a bit too harsh in her assessment. Maybe they didn't deserve to die, and the pervert's dumb luck had gotten them killed. That was more likely than the other, in her opinion.

Sneaking away as best as she could, given that she wasn't even a Genin, she left the pervert to his thoughts and headed up the steps to the top of the Monument.

* * *

Naruto sat at the top of Hokage Monument, staring down at the village from the head of the Fourth. Some would say that his very existence was a blight on the name of the Yondaime, who died to save their village from a great travesty. Some would try to kick him off from the top of the Monument to finish what the Fourth started. He didn't care what they had to say about it, for today, he was safe cause his orange clothing and blonde hair blended in with the rock, making it hard for anyone down in the village to see that he was up here.

**"We should go down there and make examples out of them."** Kyuubi growled in dissatisfaction. It was always the most verbal during this day every year, as if the loss hurt all the more. **"They all deserve to die..."**

"And then what?" Naruto asked aloud, there was no one around to look at him strangely for talking to himself. "We couldn't live in this whole village by ourselves, we'd have to live some place with people in it eventually."

**"We wouldn't have to live anywhere we didn't want to, and know one outside of this village as even heard of you."** Kyuubi coaxed, cooing temptation into his ear. **"We could go where we want, do as we need, kill as we desire, and no one would have the power to stop us..."**

"I don't know if you've noticed or not," Naruto asked sarcastically, staring out across the horizon with an irritated look on his face, "but we can't even take care of ourselves in a village this size. You're telling me that living out in the wild would be easier than living here?"

**"You call this taking care of yourself?"** Kyuubi kissed angrily. **"We're stymied by your Hokage and your Sensei from gathering the resources from finishing our warren. We can't gather fresh supplies and meat to eat, and are forced to subsist on 'noodles' for our meals. We can't even prevent ourself from being beaten to a bloody death whenever we want. This is what you call living?"**

Naruto grumbled to himself. The fox did have a point, but he was very sure that hunting for food daily, finding water that he could drink without being down for days with the runs, and sleeping someplace dry without predators or hunting rogue ninjas stumbling across him in the middle of the night was going to be a lot less troublesome living someplace he knew how to avoid most of the trouble that came his way.

**"If you've got time to complain, you've got time to train, worthless fleshling."** Kyuubi huffed. **"You're chakra control is shot because you are bonded to me. It will never be great and all of your jutsu will always be more powerful than normal ones, but the biggest problem you'll find with your jutsu is that they'll lack substance."**

"Substance?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

**"It's like with your Kage Bunshin technique."** Kyuubi pointed out for him. **"When I showed you how to make them last longer, you didn't even see anything wrong with them until I pointed out how to extend their time."**

"Yeah, because your power's are throwing everything out of whack." Naruto grumbled, only to feel Kyuubi slam into the bars bodily, making his head ring.

**"As I was saying,"** Kyuubi waited to see if he was dumb enough to interrupt a second time, **"You need to work on filtering out my essence from your chakra so that your jutsus will work decently."**

"Wait, isn't an overpowered jutsu a good thing?" Naruto asked.

**"Say you learn an elemental jutsu."** Kyuubi explained slowly for Naruto, which he hated. **"You use this elemental jutsu to attack your enemy and manage to release it without blowing your arm off in the process. Now, imagine this super powerful jutsu not only blowing your enemy away just from a near miss, but blowing about one fifth of this wretched village away as well. Still alright to use an over powered jutsu?"**

Naruto cringed at the thought. Sakura would be blown away even if she was standing directly behind him, let alone blowing himself away in the process. Sakura didn't deserve to get killed, though she did yell at him from time to time. "So, how do I do it, then?"

* * *

She was nearly to the top and the sun was nearly at midday. Climbing the Hokage Monument was a pain, but at least she had managed to make it nearly to the top in only an hour. She headed out toward the faces of the old geezers to look for the best place to watch out for anyone coming after her, walking through the bushes carefully to make sure she didn't find an edge that would cause her to fall too far to survive.

When she came out of the bushes, she nearly stumbled over a teenager wearing orange clothing. Stifling the curse she wanted to say, she composed herself as a proper Hyuga should and turned to address the boy. When she looked at him, he appeared to be in a meditative state and hadn't even reacted to nearly being stepped on. Her eye twitched as she continued to watch him, his closed eyes and cross legged seated position not moving a whit.

She was about to come up and kick him in the face to see if he noticed that when she felt a subtle pressure start to come from him. Stepping back from him, the pressure let up slowly. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward once more, feeling as the pressure built again. Making the hand sign for Ram, she focused her chakra into her eyes and stared at the boy, watching as his chakra coils came into view.

Red pulsed through the coils of his chakra system like a heartbeat as it flowed through him. The rhythm had a hypnotic effect on her as she felt the pulsing in the air, like she was listening to a heartbeat with her eyes. Slowly, she watched as his coils colors shifted from the red hue to a blue one, the oppressive air coming from the red chakra being slowly exerted out of his tenketsu all over his body.

She shook her head, breaking eye contact with his coils and turning off the Byakugan before she fell back underneath the hypnotic pulsing of his chakra system before kicking him in the face as she had planned before. Cursing, the blonde fell backwards as he gripped his face, the pressure from him snapping off immediately.

"What the hell?!" Naruto snapped as his eyes locked onto the young girl before him dressed in a kimono. The black hair and violet eyes addressed her as a Hyuga immediately and he wondered briefly what he'd done to deserve getting kicked in the face.

The Hyuga smiled cruelly at him. "Guess your not that much of a ninja if you couldn't even detect me standing in front of you." She spoke harshly at him in a challenging tone of voice.

Naruto glared at her, feeling the swelling already reducing. "Do you have a reason kicking me in the face?" Naruto asked, remembering what happened the last time he ignored a Hyuga.

Hanabi turned in place and put her hands behind her head. "No reason in particular. Just making sure you still awake is all."

**"I like her already. Ruthless, tactless, does things for the pleasure of it, a human version of me."** Kyuubi chuckled to itself as Naruto snorted.

"What are you doing up here, anyways?" The girl asked as she glanced at him over her shoulder, refusing to turn around and face him.

Naruto scowled. "I hate this day." Naruto muttered, glancing toward the village from where he sat. "They dance and party their butts off, and they don't deserve any of it."

"Oh?" The girl asked as she looked out over Konoha herself.

Naruto nodded. "The Yondaime died fighting off the Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of the Biju, and they claim to celebrate his passing, but all they're doing is using his name to do all sorts of things." Naruto looked up at the back of the Hyuga girl as she staredoff over the village, her face blank. Smirking, Naruto added, "Kinda like what the Hyuga do to their own."

The girl spun around, a sneer on her face and her fists clenched. "Konoha and the Hyuga are nothing like what you say. You're speaking treason."

Naruto crossed his arms in front of himself and turned his face from her. "So, you're saying that the Hyuga don't treat their own cousins and aunts and uncles like second class citizens, is that it?"

"Of course not!" The girl spat angrily, her Byakugan activating due to her anger. "It's none of your business how we choose to treat the failures of our clan as we do."

Naruto snapped his head at her when she said that hated word. What did mean to be a failure, anyways? Who had the right to tell someone else they were a failure? What kind of arrogance was it to label someone a failure simply because they weren't adept at something? He'd heard that he was a failure all his life, and yet, here he was. Genin of Konoha, failure at the academy, but had passed by doing things his own ways, and not letting them stop him from doing it.

He stood up and stared down at her, stepping into her space as he squinted in irritation at her. "It's thinking like that that proves my point. Just because it doesn't work out your way doesn't mean its not the right way."

She glared back up at him, irritated beyond belief at this guy's audacity. "There are things that are meant to be, and nothing you do can will change that." She poked him in the chest, deliberately hitting tenketsu with her finger and forcing three closed.

Naruto tried not to scowl at the pain. "Now you sound like that Neji prick." Naruto growled at her, watching as her eyes narrowed.

"Fine." The girl spat at him. "If you think your so great, let's see you jump off this cliff."

Naruto stared down in her eyes, gauging at how serious she was before dashing to the edge and throwing himself off bodily. Hanabi had all of a few seconds to realize that he had really jumped off before using her Byakugan to follow him as he fell, expanding her field of vision to watch as he made no attempt to slow his impact down.

She winced as he struck the ground hard, and was fortunate enough to thank whatever Kami gave her family the Byakugan to not be able to hear the impact the guy caused. Watching had been sickening enough, but it was even more sickening when the bones started to knit together, tendons and muscles growing back into place and ruptured organs repair themselves as if falling off the Hokage Monument was nothing to him at all.

He stood up slowly, obviously in pain before he dusted himself off and glanced upwards toward where he had jumped off. She couldn't move from where she stood, not wanting to look down at him, or have him look back and see her staring down at the impossibility that he was. Humans weren't supposed to do the stuff that he did.

Shaking his head, he walked off out of the range of her eyes.

"Are you satisfied?" The cold feminine voice behind her made her jump in the air and spin around, throwing a Jyuken strike at the person behind her. Her hand was unceremoniously stopped as another gripped her wrist and turned her arm outward, turning it at a painful angle.

The cat masked ninja stared down at her, purple hair blowing in the wind. Dressed up in full armor with a sword over her shoulder, it could only be an ANBU. "You need to learn some manners, little girl."

She winced as her Byakugan turned off as shame washed over her. "He didn't have to jump. He could have accepted what I told him."

The cat masked woman observed her quietly for a moment before speaking. "If he ever accepted anything he was told, he would have rolled over and died long ago." Hanabi looked a little confused, so she elaborated. "Naruto Uzumaki has fought for life daily against everyone at one point or another. He's had to struggle for everything, fight tooth and nail for what he's managed to keep for his own. Naruto doesn't know how to accept anything."

"Uzumaki..." Hanabi remembered that name. The same one her father cursed on a daily basis, the same name her sister pined over all the time. She supposed she should have been paying more attention since she never noticed the whisker like marks on his cheeks.

"You and I need to talk to your father, little Hyuga." Her tone left no doubt as to what this meant, wincing as she imagined what her father was going to do to her.

* * *

He knew there was a reason he didn't want to leave his apartment today. Considering the mission a personal failure, he headed home to barricade the door and pretend Konoha didn't exist.

So he had tried to be out in public just this once, he'd even managed to get through half the day before getting his teeth kicked in and arguing with a girl a few years younger than himself. Couldn't fault a guy for trying, but obviously Kami hated his guts. Thankfully, the village didn't know where he lived just yet.

He came around the corner just in time to see someone leaving his apartment, the door having been ripped from the frame the wrong direction and laying in the front lawn. They glanced at him, spitting in his general direction, before running off down a side alley back toward the main part of town. He wanted to chase after the person and beat some decency into the guy, but he'd be the one punished in the end for attacking a civilian, he just knew it.

He headed over to his door, picking it up and leaning it up against the side of the room before stepping inside. The place had been trashed thoroughly, the walls having holes in them, the carpet having been burnt in more than one place, and his mattress on his bed having been slashed open and the filling flung over three different rooms. Even the toilet hadn't been spared, smashed down to the floor and the furo broken down the side in one long hole.

He lost it. It just didn't end, day after day, and after that girl had gotten in his face about adhering to what people told him was what he should be doing, he just lost it. He felt nothing but anger, saw nothing but red, and he raged like an animal unleashed inside his room, shouting, throwing, creating Kage Bunshin and throwing them into stuff before he finally ran out of frustration. He'd never run out of anger, Konoha wouldn't allow that to happen.

When he was coherent again, he had done a lot of destruction. He'd literally broke through his wall into the next room and beyond that into a third. Furniture lay broken and scattered through his and the second room, counters broken and windows pulverized. Any wiring or pipes that had been in his way he'd simply tore apart in anger, breaking the pipes in places and tearing wire out in long strips from the walls.

**"You are so fucking pathetic."** Kyuubi commented once he slumped to his knees, numbness running through him. **"They torture you daily by doing petty, pathetic stuff like this to you, and all you can do is complete their work by destroying our warren."**

He didn't say anything, simply stared around him at what he'd done.

He could feel the Kyuubi's presence sinking back into the back of his mind in disgust as it retreated from his awareness. only a parting, **"Pathetic..."** echoed back to his awareness as he sat and stared.

* * *

Asuma thought he was doing very well. He had managed to ask Kurenai out, since all missions were suspended for the day. They had started off early, heading into the celebration area where the stalls for games for the kids and food stalls had been placed. It was the best kind of date he could possibly have.

"Don't they have any dango around here?" Anko asked, peering around at the stalls with minor annoyance on her face.

Asuma winced as her back, smiling weakly at Kurenai as the raven haired Jounin sighed greatly at her friend. "Anko, it's only just afternoon, you can't tell me your hungry already. I know for a fact you didn't get up until 10."

"I can't help it if my fishcake kept me up most of the night." She had gotten in late and wanted to finish up the last bits before going to bed anyways. It was worth it, in her opinion.

Kurenai stopped and gave her friend a hard, but disbelieving, stare. "There's only one person you call your 'fishcake'." Kurenai knew her friend had a fascination with the blonde Genin since meeting him in the school. She just didn't even want to imagine what Anko meant by 'kept her up'.

"Uh..." Anko scratched the back of her head. Kurenai was suspicious of her now, and she didn't want to tell her about her chibi sized Naruto doll she made.

Before Kurenai 'persuaded' her friend into spilling her guts, Hana walked up to them from out of the crowd, her triplets opening a space up around her as they growled menacingly at those around them.

"Hana chan, save me!" Anko shouted playfully as she jumped behind the Inuzuka woman, sticking her tongue out at Kurenai while pulling her eyelid down at Kurenai.

Hana blinked in a bewildered manner as she glanced at the taunting Anko to the confused Asuma and the fuming Kurenai. "Something I should know about?" She asked, hands in her green ninja pants, ankles taped off. She tugged at the tan vest she wore, trying to get Anko to let go. She didn't get to wear her mission clothing very often, and having Anko hanging off of her was not how she wanted her clothes to be treated.

"Afternoon, Ms. Inuzuka." Asuma greeted politely, hoping to distract the two women from interrogating one another about Naruto. "Do you have a mission today? I thought all missions were on hold until after today." He adjusted his cigarette in his mouth as he finished speaking.

"I'm just enjoying the day off." Hana commented. She rubbed her bare right arm where she had earned her secondary tattoo from her family, a red cross, modified into a cup and the top most point turned into a dot held within the cupped upward arms.

Anko looked down the front of Hana's zipped up vest as the Inuzuka woman readjusted the bandages on her right bicep. "Are you wearing anything underneath that vest?" Hana glared at Anko, forgetting the bandages. "That's very daring of you..."

"That's none of your business." Hana barked at Anko, who only grinned at her.

Asuma pretended he didn't hear anything and now tried not to pay attention to the Inuzuka woman standing in font of him in skintight pants and a vest that protected just the necessary amount of body.

"Anko." A familiar female voice called down to her from the roofs. Drawing the attention of the Jounins, they saw the mask clad Jounin standing on a nearby roof, holding a girl over her shoulder who looked like just shy of teenage years. Anko gasped and put a hand to her lips.

"You pervert!" Anko commented loudly before laughing in a very creepy way. "You get on my case about chasing Naruto around, yet you have the guts to run around with your little loli!"

"You need to go find Naruto." Yuugao spoke calmly, having more important things to deal with than Anko's antics. Anko dropped the act as Yuugao continued. "He jumped off of Hokage Monument not too long ago. This one had something to do with it." Yuugao dumped the girl behind her and drew her sword as Anko jumped up at her, pointing the blade toward an irate Anko.

"Get out of my way, Neko." Anko hissed, a kunai held in her hand as she gazed at the girl who had sat up. She could tell now from looking at her that it was a Hyuga girl, most likely one of the main house members.

Kurenai, Asuma, and Hana jumped up to the roofs around Anko and Yuugao, watching as the two women stood off against each other. "You have a duty to do. Do it." Yuugao didn't move, but she ordered Anko to go away and find Naruto.

"She hurt him." Anko seethed, her fingernails gripping into her hand around the kunai in her grip.

"Now, Anko." Yuugao tried again, not wanting to have to explain to the Hokage why there was a fight during the celebration.

"You know that blonde idiot?" Hanabi asked as she got up to her feet, dusting herself off. "Do you know he has something wrong with him? His chakra coils are all wrong." Being treated like a sack instead of a person, she wasn't about to put with that. She'd lash out in the only way she knew to hurt someone older and better than her, with words. "They were red."

All hostile intent stopped, leaving a disturbing void where killer intent had been pouring off the masked ANBU and the trench coat wearing woman. It was a bit unsettling when no one moved or said anything, and the noise from the streets below left everything feeling surreal.

"Jumped off of Hokage Monument, you said?" Anko asked, her voice hoarse. She put her kunai away, sliding it up her sleeve before glaring at the little Hyuga before suddenly disappearing in a feat of speed, leaving little sound behind her.

Yuugao slipped her sword back into her sheath before walking back over to the Hyuga girl. "Next time, I'll let her kill you." Yuugao said with no emotion whatsoever. Picking the girl back up over her shoulder, she shunshined toward the Hyuga compound. Hana nodded to her girls before they left as well, only glancing to Kurenai and Asuma to give her a quick nod before they took of as well, heading for Hokage Monument to track Naruto down.

Asuma wanted to sigh, but he couldn't. It wouldn't be fair if Kurenai wanted to go and check on Naruto, like she seemed to always do. "If you want to go as well, I won't hold it against you." Asuma offered.

Kurenai looked like she wanted to before shaking her head. "He's not my student anymore. I don't have the right to worry about him all the time." Kurenai shook her head, knowing Anko would tell her about it later. "So, you were going to show me the fair?"

Asuma stared at her in disbelief for a second before smiling to her. Maybe there was hope for him and her yet.

* * *

"it's your move." Shino commented to the lazy Genin of Team 10. Shikamaru scratched at his arm and stared at the board between them, debating his next move carefully. Chouji sat next to him, watching the fair below them and the food stands nearby that he was planning on eating out of house and home.

You wouldn't think it by looking at them, but Shino and Shikamaru were friends, if not close ones. The shadow jutsu user of the Nara clan had something very in common with the bug type user of the Aburame clan. Both liked their peace and quiet. Chouji of the Akimichi liked the both of them simply because they didn't mention the 'F' word in his presence, Shikamaru was his best friend because they had been raised together, and Shino because he simply didn't talk much.

They had been told to go to the celebration of the Kyuubi's loss to the Yondaime, but they weren't people persons. Chouji just wasn't interesting unless you were a chef or were going to take his order, Shikamaru thought it was troublesome, and Shino didn't see the logic in it.

The only reason why Shino commented was to make sure Shikamaru remembered that it was his turn. It had been thirty minutes since any move had been made.

"Oy, Chouji, Shikamaru!" A female voice that made both boy's cringe drew their eyes down into the street wear a kimono clad Ino was looking up at them.

"Man, how'd she find us?" Shikamaru griped as he stared down at a flustered Ino.

"It's like she has radar or something." Chouji whined, having a premonition about what was about to occur, and that his eating was about to be curtailed.

"Someone you know?" Shino asked, glancing as the blonde girl got jostled by someone on their way to a stall past her.

"Our teammate." Shikamaru commented. "You remember from the academy, the troublesome blonde girl with the Uchiha fascination."

Shino raised his eye and looked back down at the blonde girl.

"Have you guys seen Naruto?" Ino called up to them, getting another hard jostle that made her scowl after the person that bumped into her.

"What's she looking for Naruto for?" Chouji asked, confused. "I thought she liked Sasuke?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Too troublesome..." he muttered before answering. "We haven't seen him." he shouted down to her.

"Well, help me find him!" Ino shouted up, frustrated beyond belief. Her toes had nearly been stepped on this time.

"Um...Ino? There's like a festival going on. Exactly how do we find one person in all that?" Chouji asked, showing a bit of logic now that his chances of eating were diminishing.

"Why don't you find his sensei?" Shino asked the boys in front of him. Shikamaru and Chouji looked at him before looking down at Ino.

"You did find his sensei, didn't you?" Shikamaru asked her, missing the brief flash of pink in her cheeks.

"Of course, I checked his sensei. Why do you think I'm asking you?" Ino had actually not thought to find their sensei, and didn't want to be called on it. "Oh, forget the both of you. I'll find him myself!" She stormed off back into the crowd, quickly being swallowed up in the sea of colors.

* * *

The sun was going down. He could hear the people out in the streets burning the effigy of the Kyuubi, destroying their fears with their hatred and making sure the cycle lived for another year. He ripped the last bit of wall away and threw it out the broken window with a grunt, working in the dark cause the power was out in these rooms.

He had swept out the glass and the plaster from the carpet and thrown it out in the front yard. No sense in cleaning up twice, he'd send some Kage Bunshin out to do it in the morning. Tonight, it could be used as an early warning device.

He didn't think it would be used so soon when he heard the crunching of glass underfoot. keeping himself ducked down behind the low wall where the window frame was at, he peeked out into the grounds to see two people standing around in the yard. One of them had the trademark hair standing up in the air could only be his sensei, the other was a little shorter than him, but the coat was unmistakable.

"They really did a number this time." Kakashi's voice muttered from where he stood, his trademark book put away for the night.

"Fucking bastards." Anko growled as she checked the ground for tracks. She drew a kunai from her sleeve, spinning in place while Kakashi looked over his shoulder when a woman and three large dogs landed in the grounds.

"I see you got here before us." Hana commented as she sniffed at the air, looking around her as her partner's spread out.

"We knew where we were going, so it's a bit unfair." Kakashi commented as he turned back to the building, peering at the broken windows.

Hana made a disgusted sound in her throat and spat on the ground. "All the scents are old. They must have been here before noon. The only thing I smell now is Naruto."

Anko stood up, dusting her hand off on her coat. "Same goes for tracks. These weren't professionals, just regular civilians." She moved to Naruto's room, looking inside the front door. "Looks like they tore through his room and a few other rooms."

"Naruto, you going to come out?" Kakashi called from where he stood. Naruto winced and griped about perceptive senseis before standing up and walking out into the yard, but staying far away from them. "Are you ok, Naruto? Anko says you jumped off Hokage Monument today."

**"They're following you."** Kyuubi murmured in the back of his head. **"They don't trust your sanity anymore. You did jump from off a rock face and fall to your mortal death, only to get up and walk away from it."**

"I don't know how you could think I'm great after coming home to this." Naruto asked, motioning behind him. He watched as Kakashi winced before rubbing the back of his head.

"They didn't get you, did they, Naruto kun?" Anko asked as she tried to take hold of him from behind, only for Naruto to step away from her, giving her a level gaze that made her heart ache.

"I got back just as they were finishing up." Naruto commented as he made sure to keep Anko and Kakashi in front of him. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a house to clean up."

Hana grimaced as Naruto headed back inside the building. "Why don't you come home with me for the night, Naruto? You can get washed up and some rest..."

"With all due respects, Inuzuka san, this is my home." He was turned the wrong way to see her wince along with Kakashi, or see Anko's shiver. "What kind of person would I be to abandon my home after a little hardship?"

"Naruto..." Kakashi placed his hand on Anko, who wanted to continue trying to talk him out of finishing dismantling the damage. Looking back at the silver haired Jounin saking his head at her, she frowned sadly after the blonde haired boy as he disappeared back into his building, the sounds of destruction taking back up before much time had gone by.

"You going to just let him continue?" Hana asked, crossing her arms in front of her as she shifted her weight over one leg.

"He won't stop, not now, anyways." Kakashi commented as he sighed. "Whenever he was told he couldn't do something, it made him try all the harder. At one point, we thought he'd try to be Hokage of the village when someone told him he couldn't do it. Kinda surprised us all when he didn't pursue it like he does everything else." He shook his head as he turned around to leave. "It's best if we leave him to what he feels he needs to do."

"I'm not leaving him alone like this!" Anko wanted to shout at the lackadaisical attitude of Kakashi as she gestured back toward where Naruto was still working. "He's not in his right mind."

Kakashi turned his head to glare at her. "If you want to stay around, be my guest. You won't do anything but irritate him." Kakashi took his own advice and walked off.

Hana looked to her partner's before speaking. "We're going as well. We'll come back in the morning to check on him."

"Well, I'm staying." Anko persisted, folding her arms in front of her and pouted. "You guys go ahead and lead your happy lives. We don't need you anyways."

Hana's eyebrow raised at Anko's antics before shaking her head and motioning to her partners to follow. Mikoto was quick to follow Hana, followed by Sanae. Kanae hesitated, whining as she looked back at where Naruto continued to work at before following after.

Anko huffed. "Pricks." she muttered before turning back to the apartment, heading inside to where Naruto was at. "Excuse me, Naruto? I'd like a room to stay in, please."

Naruto stopped, looking at the snake mistress with an incredulous look. "There's no running water and no power." He spoke blithely before ripping out a brace with his bare hands, the wood breaking into pieces.

"I still want a room." Anko persisted, putting her hands in her pockets as she smiled at the blonde Genin.

Naruto sighed before turning back to look at her. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Some place close by, if you don't mind." Anko ignored his question, smiling brightly.

He stared at her for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a keyring with a single key on it. Tossing it to Anko, he said, "Use this. It'll unlock any door in the building. Just bring it back in the morning when you're ready to go home."

Anko looked at it critically. "Hhmmm...gonna need to make a spare..." She murmured just loud enough for Naruto to hesitate tearing out another damaged brace. "Well, whatever. Good night, Gaki." She kissed Naruto in his hair before humming to herself as she showed herself out.

_'Did I miss something?'_ Naruto thought to the Kyuubi.

**"Try not to think about it."** Kyuubi responded. **"You're better off simply accepting it. Crazy people don't understand sense like we do."**

* * *

**The poll is still up and will remain up for the next two chapters, but once Tazuna is introduced, it will be removed and locked. So if you don't wish to know what's coming up, don't remember who's in the lead. Voting can be found on my profile page, vote while you can.  
**


	10. Clash of Spirits Preordained

**Wow, I'm getting this story updated left and right. That's kinda scary... Not bad for something unbeta'd huh?  
**

**Disclaimer: I did it! I confess! The Ferret told me to do it!**

* * *

"Blah" - Speech

_'Blah'_ - Thoughts

**"Blah"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** - Jutsu Usage

* * *

"Report." Sarutobi sat behind his desk, gazing at the masked ANBU, Yuugao,and her partner, Anko. He had heard from Hiashi himself about what Hanabi had done to Naruto, and what Naruto's actions had been. Although Hiashi hadn't been too upset at his youngest daughter, especially after hearing how the blonde Genin had thrown himself bodily off the Hokage Monument, Sarutobi had been livid. Now, he just wanted to hear the truth three hours after midnight, officially making it the day after Naruto's birthday.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Yuugao stepped forward, saluting the Hokage behind his desk before clasping her hands in the small of her back and taking a relax stance. "I chose early duty yesterday to observe and to protect, as I had explained earlier when I reported to you about..."

"I know about your report." Sarutobi waved her from continuing in that line. "Tell me what I don't know yet."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Yuugao fidgeted in place for a bit before continuing. "He observed the villagers for a time, looked down at Ichiraku and seemed to be leery of going to eat for the day. When a blonde Kunoichi by the name of Yamanaka Ino came to ask about Naruto's whereabouts, he left, heading for the Hokage Monument.

"During the first hour or so on the Monument, he appeared to be talking to himself. At first, it appeared as if he was trying to talk himself out of leaving the village, and it would not be worth considering, but during a few minutes where he had subsided after apparently winning the argument to stay, he began talking to himself as if he was responding to a conversation in his own head."

Sarutobi's eyes hardened, transfixing Yuugao where she stood. "Specifically, what was he talking about?"

"Jutsu practice and theory, Hokage-sama." Yuugao gulped as Sarutobi stared pointedly at her.

"Nothing else? Nothing about his seal or about going on a rampage?" He had to be absolutely sure. If the Kyuubi was talking to him, who knows how insane Naruto had already been driven.

"No, Sir." Yuugao went from a relaxed stance to standing ramrod straight. "Uzumaki gave no indication that he was discussing violence against the leaf, Sir."

"Uzumaki?" Anko asked, looking at her partner with a considering gaze. "His name is Naruto, Uzumaki is his family name."

Yuugao didn't say anything to Anko, ignoring the comment. She was a professional, and professionals don't get close enough to their targets to get emotional. It was a ninja failing to do so.

"If that is all..." Yuugao nodded and stepped back, knowing her previous report told the rest of what happened. "Anko, what was his condition when you got to his building."

Anko stepped up and took the place of Yuugao as she stepped back, allowing the snake Kunoichi to step forward and report. "Naruto was busy dismantling the damage done to his room, the adjoining room, and the room after that on the same level. Damage indicated that someone literally ripped the walls apart by hand and tore everything else up that was in or near the way of the intended path of destruction."

"How many civilians do you think were there to do that much damage?" Sarutobi groaned inwardly, giving them a front of strength, and wincing at the hatred Konoha still nursed.

"I think he did it himself." Anko shrugged, Yuugao turned her head to peer into the back of Anko's head as Sarutobi fixed her with the same piercing gaze Yuugao was struck with.

"Explain." Sarutobi commented, his voice conveying the order it truly was.

"From the destructive path, the broken pipes, ripped wiring, destroyed plaster and whatnot, I think he did it all." Anko commented lightly. "I think his anger finally reached a peak and he vented in a blind rage."

Sarutobi cupped a hand over his eyes. The village was the ones driving Naruto insane, not the Kyuubi. If that wasn't ironic, he'd eat his hat.

"I heard from a report not ten minutes ago that you stayed in one of the other rooms in the building." Sarutobi asked her, keeping his hand over his eyes.

"I did. I can tell he's already put some work into the room, even though the basics still need work on them." Anko smirked as she continued. "If your worried that I tried forcing myself on him, you don't have to worry, Hokage-sama. I had someone else keeping me company."

"Try saying that without the chibi Naruto doll." Yuugao commented drily as she looked over across the room to the extra chair where Anko's 'Naruto' was sitting.

"It's not Naruto, so get off my case." Anko huffed, crossing her arms defensively in front of herself and turning her head away from the incriminating evidence.

"It's flat out creepy." Yuugao commented softly, though not nearly soft enough as Anko's cheeks reddened slightly.

"What are your plans, now that you've got a key to his building?" Sarutobi asked, drawing attention back to the true topic.

"With the key, I'll have access to check on him when needed, but if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to move in to his building." Anko could see the 'Denied!' coming, so she added quickly, "It would allow him to at least be able to sleep in peace, plus, with a Tokubetsu or Jounin living nearby, the assassination attempts would diminish."

He was wavering, she could see it. He just needed another push to get him to agree. "It doesn't have to be my apartment, it could be used to rotate a Jounin of your selection at a specific time."

"I was already considering that, given your previous encounter when fighting over Naruto's welfare." Sarutobi frowned at the both of them, reminding them that he hadn't forgotten about that fight just yet.

"Hokage-sama." Yuugao broke the silence as Sarutobi considered his next step. "The building needs a lot of work done to it. Only one room had any power or water in it until last night."

Sarutobi sighed greatly. "I knew it was a work in progress, but was it really that bad?" Shaking his head, he continued, "I trust assessment, Yuugao. In that case, I will have to have Naruto move out for the time being while I send in a crew to effect repairs."

"That might not be a good idea, Hokage-sama." Anko hesitantly announced.

Sarutobi looked at her, making her shift where she stood before he seemed to understand what she was talking about. "Of course, they'd slip someone in with the repair crew and either ruin the foundation of the building, or put bolt holes in to sneak through and make it easier to get to him." He shook his head at the implications, wondering when he started thinking of his own people as the enemy. "Which means D rank missions."

* * *

"And how did your celebration go?" Kakashi eye smiled to his other two Genin, Naruto already off pummeling one of the training logs since Kakashi was late. Again.

"It was alright." Sakura sighed piteously. **'It would have been a lot better had Sasuke would have talked to us.'**

"Where were you?" Sasuke growled at Kakashi. "An entire day wasted without any training done."

Kakashi leveled a flat gaze on the Uchiha. "That's what independent study is for." Kakashi spoke in his level tone, whether that he was unamused, or just didn't think it was all that important to be said, but apparently, it needed saying anyways. "Anyways, training is on hold until afternoons from now on. We are going to be taking missions from now on."

"Missions?" Sakura had a wavering tone in her voice. "Please tell me we're not going to be cleaning gutters again?"

"That depends on the mission." Kakashi said as he waved to Naruto to come over as the blonde took a break. "If we hurry, we might be able to do enough missions before the Chuunin exams."

"The Chuunin exams?!" Sakura exclaimed, shock vibrating through her. "You can't be serious, Kakashi sensei! We're not nearly ready for the exams!"

"Fine by me." Sasuke said, crossing his arms in front of himself with a smirk. "The faster we rise in rank, the faster I can kill _That_ man."

"Sasuke..." Sakura spoke worriedly as she watched a dark shadow seem to sweep over her love's face, the smirk turning into a sneer.

"We're going." Sasuke announced, taking the leader roll as he walked off toward the Hokage's Tower, and toward his destiny.

Sakura worried after Sasuke as he headed off, hurrying to catch up to him and walk one step behind and to his left. Naruto glanced up at Kakashi, who could only shrug at Naruto, before they left to follow their team.

* * *

"They want us to fix this place?" Sakura complained at she looked at the apartment building, the four story building looked like it should be demolished, not fixed.

"How is this supposed to make us better ninja?" Sasuke groused as he peered at one room that had a door standing by its doorway, someone had ripped it from its frame and left it against the outside wall. Glass littered the front lawn that looked to have seen better days.

"Well, it may not look like much, but Konoha is a growing village, so we have to do our part and help fix what we can." Kakashi said as he looked up at Naruto's building, already planning on using a Raiton to track down the faulty spot in the wiring.

Naruto didn't know whether to thank the old man or curse him. Now his team knew about the building, they just didn't know he lived there just yet.

"Well, let's see what needs done. Everyone, break up and take a floor, just be careful where you walk at. Don't want you falling through rotted floorboards or anything." Kakashi said as he jumped upwards, starting at the top floor.

"Why do we have to do this, anyways?" Sakura complained as she headed over to the broken open doorway. "Do we look like a repair crew?"

Sasuke cursed. What in the hell were they doing here? They were ninja, they were made for better things than this. This wasn't just degrading, it was insulting. Sighing, he headed over to the inner stairwell and began making his way to the next floor.

Naruto looked up at the rest of the floors as he reached into his pocket. Making sure he had firm hold of the key before making the cross shaped seal, he called out what was quickly turning into his trademark jutsu.

* * *

"Hinata, we need to talk." Kurenai spoke calmly to her Kunoichi Genin. Seeing as how Hinata looked like she had cried all night on top of being distracted enough to nearly hurt herself, and they were repairing a wooden fence.

Hinata winced openly, her body looking like she took a shot to her stomach. Looking guiltily over at Kurenai, she nodded and placed her hammer down next to the bag of nails. Walking off a bit from their teammates, Kurenai leaned against a wall next to a bench while Hinata sat down next to her.

"It's about your sister and Naruto, isn't it?" Kurenai asked as Hinata winced again, her eyes tearing up.

"She..." Hinata swallowed, her hands fiddling with the hem of her coat as she tried to speak. "She said h-he...jumped..." Hinata's voice squeaked weakly as she tried to find the words again.

"From what I heard, he's perfectly alright, so you don't have to worry about him." Kurenai placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"He...He jumped from the t-top o-of..." Hinata sniffled before the tears started to flow, her red rimmed eyes turning redder as she started to cry.

Kurenai kneeled down in front of Hinata, throwing up a minor jutsu up around them so that no one would see her crying. Crouching down in front of her ward, she held onto the girl as she stroked her long, dark hair, letting the girl vent her heartache.

"He could have...He could have..." Hinata hiccuped as she gripped onto Kurenai's clothing, tugging on her as she tried to find comfort in her sensei's arms.

"It's alright, Hinata." Kurenai cooed to the girl who was not as old as her.

"It's not alright!" Hinata blurted out. "My sister made him jump! My Own Sister!"

Kurenai bit her lip. She knew it had been Hanabi, there was too much family resemblance for her to deny it had been the Princess of Hyuga's sister. She had wanted to go Naruto herself after finding out that Hinata's sister had by either word or deed forced Naruto to jump off. How could she, the sensei of Hinata, comfort Naruto after he had been tricked into jumping off by Hinata's kin?

"No, it's not right," Kurenai whispered into Hinata's ear, "but neither is it fair that you blame yourself for something you had control over." She leaned Hinata back carefully to look her in the eye. "You care about your friends very much, and that's nothing to be ashamed about. But when you start blaming yourself for things you had no control over, then you need to realize that you could have done nothing."

"But..." Hinata sniffled before Kurenai could put a finger to Hinata's lips.

"You are not responsible for your family." Kurenai gently chided Hinata. "No matter what anyone says, you are Hinata before you are Hyuga Hinata. Do you understand?"

Hinata smiled weakly through her tears as she rubbed at her left eye with her hand. Nodding, she sniffled before giving her sensei a radiant smile. "Thank you, sensei."

Kurenai gave her student a smile of her own, giving her one more hug before standing up and dissolving the Genjutsu around them. "When we're done for the day, let's go find him. What do you say?"

Hinata's smiled increased into mega watt levels as her cheeks slightly flushed. "Hai, sensei."

* * *

"Alright everyone, ready for another team mission?" Asuma smiled to his team, his teeth cinched on the cigarette he was smoking as he walked around with a huge grin.

"What do you think happened to Asuma?" Chouji whispered behind his hand so as not to draw attention to himself as he leaned next to Shikamaru.

"Whatever it was, I'm sure it's troublesome." The skinny, pineapple haired boy said as she placed his hands in his pockets and sulked. Worked sucked, being a ninja sucked. "Man, what a drag..."

"You can say that again." Ino commented sourly, her eyes had bags under them as she walked slightly slumped over.

"Hey, Ino, did you ever happen to find Naruto?" Chouji asked, slightly worried for their friend.

Ino gave him a sour look. "Does it look like I found Naruto to you?" Shikamaru grimaced and moved away from the face of Ino while Chouji winced and mumbled a sort of apology. Ino sighed tiredly. "I spent nearly all night looking for him, missed the celebration at the end, and for what?" Ino griped as her arms and hands gestured. "I spent a good amount of time getting that party set up and he doesn't even bother to show up for it."

"That's very nice of you, Ino." Asuma responded to his team although his mind was elsewhere. "I'm sure Naruto would have appreciated the thought after the day he had yesterday." It took him a few moments to realize his Genin had stopped where they were.

"Sensei..." Ino's eyes was twitching violently like it was her last nerve and strained to the breaking point. "Did you know where Naruto was yesterday?"

Asuma shook his head. "Not until after...wards..." He nearly let slip to Ino that he knew exactly what happened to Naruto during the afternoon, and had to change his mind in mid sentence, making his works sounding broken and disjointed. He grinned sheepishly at Ino who's blue eyes were glaring in annoyance at Asuma.

"Exactly, where was Naruto, then, since I couldn't find him." Ino's hands twitched, a slight flexing as she watched Asuma's face turn chagrined.

Asuma could feel a sweat drop forming on the back of his head as Ino interrogated him. No one who was being given the glare that Ino was giving could say it was anything but an interrogation, or maybe an inquisition.

"Let it go, Ino." Shikamaru drew the hostile glare from their teacher. "Whatever happened, happened, and there's nothing that can be done about it now." He scratched the back of his head below the pineapple ponytail on the back of his head before heading off for the Hokage's tower. His voice was too low to be heard at distance accurately, but Ino was sure she heard 'troublesome' and 'women' in the same breath.

Walking past her frozen sensei, following after Chouki, who was actually trying to hurry to catch up to Shikamaru for a change, Ino snorted, letting the matter drop. Asuma counted to 5 before taking a breath and letting it out slowly. His mood fully killed, he turned and followed after his Genin, making sure to keep an eye on Ino and her hands so that he didn't end up on the business end of one of her family jutsu's.

* * *

"This is pointless." Sasuke growled as he watched another clone go leaping upward past his floor, heading for a room above his from the balcony outside. He had quickly found that the rooms weren't as bad as he had thought they were but they weren't livable, either. He didn't see the point of doing any work in this place, or even why they were needed here in the first place. So what if the village was growing and they needed to get this place working again, that's what the civilians were for.

He marched out of the room he had been working on, heading down the stairway on the far side of the building, leaving the majority of the work done in the room he had been working on for the last few hours undone. Passing the second floor, he heard Sakura humming happily away as dust came out the doorway where her voice was coming from. He scowled in the direction of the happy housemaker noises and continued down to the first floor.

Reaching the first level, he watched as a sea of Naruto's ran from one point of junk and debris as another headed back into the building, carrying lumber and supplies. Sasuke's eyebrow jerked in annoyance at the sheer size of the sea of Naruto, wondering how an idiot like his blonde teammate had enough power to create solid versions of himself and managed to stay awake. He had tried one time to pour chakra into a Bunshin to try and make it solid the day after seeing all the Naruto's before Kakashi had dismissed him, which had taught him not to force a jutsu that wasn't meant to have that much power behind it.

He couldn't figure it out. How did you create a solid version of yourself without blowing up the clone or making yourself pass out from the power drain? It had so many possibilities, and yet, the blonde of his Genin squad used it for physical labor. It was a waste of power, a power he needed to kill his brother. he deserved to have that skill, not Naruto.

Walking over to one of the Naruto's who was managing the mess, sorting it by metals and wood, he hauled his fist back and socked the back of its head. He was a little surprised when the Naruto didn't disperse in a cloud of smoke, but crashed into the pile of pipes and timber he was standing over. All work came to a halt as the Naruto's looked back over at what happened, holding their loads as they stared with their squinty eyed gaze, making them look like a pack of blonde foxes.

The real Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he stood up, turning a squinty eyed glare to the raven haired boy. What the hell did he do this time?

"Show me how to do Kage Bunshin." Sasuke tried to pin Naruto down with his gaze, though not being able to see his eyes, it didn't work nearly like he had planned. Naruto didn't even speak to him as he turned around and went back to organizing the piles of wood and pipes. The kick to the small of his back that knocked him to the ground made him growl in voluntarily and he was back on his feet, facing Sasuke.

"Show me the Kage Bunshin." Sasuke growled in frustration. The Dobe didn't deserve to be as strong as he was. Only Sasuke deserved to have that strength, strength he could use to grow more powerful than his brother. Strength to grow more powerful than anyone!

**"Are you going to take that from this bastard?"** Kyuubi taunted Naruto as he stared at Sasuke.

Naruto bared his teeth as the squinty look shifted into an angry look. His hand flexed briefly in clawing motions before clenching tightly into a fist. "Alright." Naruto spoke calmly, straighting upright. "The first thing you should learn is..." The punch he threw at Sasuke was easily avoided, but the two by four from a clone behind him wasn't so avoidable since he couldn't see it coming. "Kage Bunshin think just like you do."

Sasuke got up and threw a shuriken behind him, dispersing the clone into smoke as the weapon impaled itself into it. He ducked as a piece of pipe flew over his head where he was standing, making him jump out of the way of a leg sweep. He reached for two more shurikens when he began to realize that he was surrounded by Naruto's.

"Are you going to teach me how to perform Kage Bunshin, or am I going to have to show you why your a pathetic ninja?" Sasuke reached into his weapon satchel and pulled an assortment of shuriken and kunai out of it, placing the weapons into both of his hands.

"I'm finished, Sasuke kun!" The sudden shout from Sakura on the second floor heading for the third floor didn't stop their stare down. Even as she reached the third floor and started calling out for the Uchiha, they wouldn't take their eyes off of each other.

Sasuke moved first, flicking his projectile weapons around him to give him room for any retaliation, while he kept a mental position of Naruto by glancing in the boy's direction. Naruto hesitated, even as a kunai nearly nicked his cheek, before he rushed in with his clones, closing the distance between him and Sasuke. A good portion of the Kage Bunshin's went down under the barrage of thrown weapons before they dropped what they were doing and came after Sasuke, intent on either stopping him, or beating a whole new level of pain into him.

The fight was brief, if it could truly be called a fight. Sasuke had the better taijutsu skill and was able to either absorb the few hits that got close enough, or simply evaded the poor skill altogether. He returned the attacks with his family's own style, tearing through the Kage Bunshins as if they weren't even there before it was down to him and Naruto. Naruto had thrown himself in bodily with his clones a snarl on his lips that had been taken from him as Sasuke landed a punch to his sternum, taking the breath from him.

Naruto managed to avoid the follow up punch that would have made him see stars and rolled with the kick that would have left him gasping. Jumping slightly back to get some distance from Sasuke, he dropped his hand from his chest so that he wouldn't show any weakness to the Uchiha. Sasuke prepared himself for another assault when Kakashi appeared between the both of them, giving them a disappointed look.

"I'd like to assume your both taking a breather from work." Kakashi spoke flatly, making sure to put both of them under his gaze. "If you have this much energy to waste, may I suggest finishing the task at hand?"

"This is such a waste of time." Sasuke growled as he glared at Kakashi. "We're ninja, not carpenters, plumbers, and definitely not housemaids! This is such a waste of time!"

Kakashi's look turned deadpan as he leveled it at Sasuke. "I'm sorry you feel that way." Sighing, he shook his head before looking over at Naruto. "Could you get Sakura, Naruto? We're heading back to the Hokage."

Naruto nodded and ran off as Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Are we going to go and get a real mission this time?"

Kakashi gave Sasuke a disappointed stare. "We're going back to the Hokage to report a mission failure, then I'm dismissing all of you for today."

Sasuke bristled in outrage. A mission failure was seen as a black mark on a Genin's personal records and reflected poorly on their promotions, when it came time for advancement in the ninja ranks. To be getting one on their second 'official' mission was going to hurt his chances at advancement, and gaining the strength to see his dream fulfilled.

Naruto returned with a confused and slightly dust covered Sakura. "What's going on, Kakashi sensei? Why are we going back early?"

Kakashi gave her a sympathetic look. "The mission's a failure. We're heading back."

Sakura gave Kakashi a confused look as he and Sasuke began heading back to the Hokage's tower, Naruto looking back and forth between her and the other two teammates before walking off after them. "How do you fail at cleaning a building?"

* * *

"How in Kami's name do you fail cleaning a building?" Sandaime Hokage asked, practically oozing disappointment.

Kakashi stood nonchalant where he was, showing no form of emotion by either the way he held himself or by the look in his eye. Sasuke was not only giving off a slight killer intent by his anger, but looked like he wanted to beat the living hell out of someone. Sakura looked appropriately disappointed, head bowed and hands clasped before herself. Naruto frowned at Sasuke, the Uchiha refusing to look at the blonde Dobe unless he suddenly had the urge to pull a kunai out and stab him.

Sarutobi sighed, deflating in on himself as his hat leaned lower over his face, leaving his eyes shadowed. This was supposed to be the most promising group of ninja of this year, the council was just going to love this.

"Alright, mission status has been noted and acknowledged. You are dismissed, except you Kakashi. I'm going to need a full debriefing." The Hokage watched as Sakura bowed to the highly disappointed Hokage before walking out, Sasuke didn't even bow before he left. Naruto scratched his head before shrugging and headed out himself, planning on going back to his building and finish working on it. "Well, let's hear it. Why did you terminate this mission?"

Kakashi stood up straighter as his eye seemed to gain more focus to it instead of the absent look it had just a moment ago. "Sasuke not only gave up the mission, he tried to fight Naruto to gain the Kage Bunshin from him, by force from the look of it, and he saw the mission as being below the standards of a ninja's skills. Forcing him to continue would only have promoted dissent, negating whatever teamwork that was built up since this group's inception as an official Genin team."

Sarutobi stared at Kakashi for a moment before palming his face and rubbing briskly. It was looking as if Team 7 was going to fall apart no matter what he tried to do to educate them to be proper shinobi, and not for lack of trying. Sighing greatly, Sarutobi placed his hand firmly on the desk in front of himself and fixed Kakashi with a scrutinizing gaze. "What do you suggest, in your professional opinion, would be the necessary thing to do to get them to perform like ninja?"

Kakashi rubbed his chin and thought long and hard, humming to himself as he debated. "Permission to speak frankly?"

"At this point, I couldn't care less." Sarutobi responded.

Kakashi nodded before speaking. "Sasuke needs to lose the attitude. Right now, he's what's holding the team back, or more accurately, his ego is. Sakura has the potential to be a great Kunoichi, but she needs to stop focusing on impressing Sasuke. She was so busy, she didn't even notice the dust she accumulated before coming back, and once it was pointed out, she nearly freaked out in embarrassment."

Sarutobi nodded, making sure to remember this so that he could personally add it to their profiles later. "And Naruto?"

Kakashi sighed as he contemplated Naruto. "I don't understand him at all. We trained him better than the way he acts while I was still in ANBU. It's like he's deliberately forgotten everything we taught him." Kakashi shook his head. "His stealth may be his greatest saving grace. The moment he uses a jutsu, however, he'll blow that away. The Kyuubi has given him too much chakra, and he naturally overpowers his Kage Bunshins every time he uses it. I think Henge will be the only practical ninja jutsu besides Kage Bunshin he'll ever be able to use."

Sarutobi shook his head. It was a shame that Naruto was stunted by his jailer, and not because of some lack of talent, but an overabundance of it. If only they would have been allowed to teach him chakra controlling lessons sooner, before it was too late. "Final recommendations?"

Kakashi sighed before scratching the back of his head. "I'm suggesting a C rank mission."

Sarutobi pinned Kakashi in place with the unforgiving glare of a Hokage who had heard his pupil make a political screw up during a high ranking meeting. "You're suggesting that they're good enough for such a mission? After that opinion of their skills?"

"No, sir." Kakashi shook his head. "I'm suggesting a mission involving a bodyguard duty. By putting them into a combat situation, I'm hoping of shocking Sasuke into being a more team oriented player than he is now. I'm hoping that by playing to his ego to accept a mission as simple as a bodyguard before we get involved on a mission that will risk us against anything more than just the occasional bandit, he'll learn that he can't do it all by himself. Sakura will learn to drop her fangirl fixation by maybe seeing Sasuke in a new, dirtier light, and hopefully Naruto will feel like a normal person outside of Konoha than by staying here."

"I see." Sarutobi muttered as he contemplated. It would mean going against the normal grain about how missions were normally run, but it did have a certain merit to it. Plus, bandit's were commonplace and below a Jounin's skill level, normally. I wouldn't be too difficult for Kakashi to not only defend his students, but the client as well. "I'll think about it. For now, there are no bodyguard missions to accept, but when one comes in, I'll see if I can put you on it."

A knock came from the Hokage's doors, and following the summons of Sarutobi, Kurenai and Team 8 entered the room. "Report." Hokage ordered as Kakashi took a place against the far wall, pulling his orange book out, to the annoyance of Kurenai.

"Team 8 reports mission successful." Kurenai answered with a small amount of pride for her team doing a good job and completing their mission earlier than expected.

The Hokage reached into his desk and pulled out his ink pad and two separate stamps, placing them on his desktop. Kurenai offered the mission scroll over to the Hokage, waiting as the man opened the first bit of the scroll and stamping it before rolling it up and placing it to the side.

"Give me yours as well, Kakashi. Might as well get it taken care of now instead of later." Sarutobi sighed as he held his hand, palm upward, toward Kakashi.

Kakashi reached into his Jounin vest and pulled out the scroll as he walked over to the Hokage before placing the scroll into the aged man's hand. The Hokage wasted no time in opening the scroll, picking his other stamp up, and marking the scroll with a bold FAIL in the bottom corner. Shaking his head, he rolled up the mission scroll and placed it in a second pile, meant to go back to be resubmitted.

"If there's nothing else, you're all dismissed. That is, unless you'd like to take another mission?" Sarutobi offered, watching as Kiba scowled slightly, Hinata fidgeted in place, and Shino simply stood stoicly with his hands in his pockets.

"Actually, Hokage-sama, I was hoping you could tell me the location of Uzumaki Naruto." Kurenai asked respectfully, placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder to bolster the young girl as she blushed furiously.

Sarutobi glanced at Hinata who seemed to wilt under his eyes before he smiled gently to the young Hyuga before reaching down into the bottom of his desk and pulling out the Hokage's best spy tool in Konoha. He placed a crystal like orb on a purple pillow before him on his desk before channeling chakra into it in search of Naruto. The orb began to glow as a picture of Konoha began focus in.

* * *

He checked the second and third floors out. Seeing that a majority of the dust had been removed from many of the rooms, Naruto wondered if Sakura had a lot of practice dusting. He could never get his place as clean as some of the rooms he observed. Then again, any apartment he ever had was usually constantly trashed, though he wasn't the one trashing it.

**"Just think. In a few lifetimes, you might be able to keep a place just slightly unsanitary."** Kyuubi snorted in the back of his mind, shifting in place.

The third floor where Sasuke was working didn't look as if much had been done except for one room, and even then, only one wall looked half attempted at being painted. Naruto sighed to himself and made the cross shape seal, forming Kage Bunshin without calling the jutsu out. The clones got to work immediately, moving down the walkway to other doors while others filed into the room and worked at getting it painted.

Heading up to the fourth floor, Naruto got a shock. Every room that he checked was cleaned, painted, and it even look like there were little scented cards hanging in the rooms to give it a clean smell instead of the slightly moldy smell he'd been trying for a week to get rid of. The carpets really did need to go, but he just didn't have the time or the money. Carpets were easy work compared to pipes and wiring, and the supplies the Hokage had sent with the mission didn't include carpeting.

He wasn't even sure if the rest of the pipes in the building needed fixed. Unable to see them before turning on the water, it would be taking a chance over causing more damage than simply checking the pipes one at a time. His clones had managed the find the boiler room and fix the heating unit with a few repair books he'd managed to find in a dumpster outside of the hardware store. He'd have to wait until he could find a book that could show him how to repair the archaic furnace.

**"Almost livable."** Kyuubi murmured to itself. **"I'd almost be proud of you if it wasn't for the fact that we could have been gone from this cursed village and making a name for Ourselves."**

Naruto snorted at the Kyubbi's antics. Although he had to listen to the tailed beast, it was powerless to do anything to him.

**"Powerless?!"** Kyuubi raged in his head before Naruto started sweating badly. The world started to waver around him as he slumped to his knees. **"I could continue to flood your coils with my Youkai, killing off your body very painfully and slowly. Am I Powerless Now?!"**

_'If you could have flooded my coils with Youkai, you could have killed me long ago!'_ Naruto thought back to the Kyuubi as pain raced through him. _'What's the point in torturing me now instead of killing me then?'_

Kyuubi didn't answer, but the pain lessened and finally faded away, leaving Naruto aching all over. He groaned weakly before climbing back up onto his feet, watching the world swim as his eyes refocused.

**"So I can't kill you."** Kyuubi admitted. **"I can still make your life a living hell."**

"Just like the villagers." Naruto muttered to himself as he left the room and headed back down.

As he reached the bottom floor, Kurenai and Hinata were just beginning to approach his building. Naruto stopped where he was as Hinata seemed to freeze up when all the Naruto's looked their direction. Kurenai smiled wistfully at her ward when she realized Hinata had froze up and place a hand behind her shoulder, leading her forward once again.

"I see you're working hard, Naruto." Kurenai looked at the fairly sizable building, wondering where the rest of his team was at. "Where's the rest of your team?" All she could see from where she stood was a sea of blonde hair.

Naruto waved for his clones to get back to work as he turned back around to face Kurenai. "We failed our mission. Kakashi had us go back and report in, but I came back to finish."

"Oh, Naruto-kun. I-I'm s-so sorry..." Hinata managed to stammer out, blushing at how pathetic she sounded.

Naruto shook his head. "It needs finished." Naruto looked over his shoulder at his home, unaware that Kurenai was frowning in thought. Her frown disappeared as he turned back around. "Is there something I can help you with?" Naruto asked as he looked between a fidgeting Hinata and a smiling Kurenai.

"Actually, Hinata has something she'd like to say to you." Kurenai gently pushed a blushing to her toes Hinata forward gently.

Naruto stared at Hinata as she looked to have forgotten how to breath, or even how to think. Kurenai patted Hinata's back, which jarred her brain to remember the simpler things before Hinata averted her eyes to look at the ground.

"Ano..." Hinata mumbled, trying to remember what it was that she wanted to say.

**"Are all humans that crazy or only the half that bear the children?"** Kyuubi asked, watching the pathetic display of human interaction. **"It's like they can't think unless their emotions tell them to."**

"Ano..." Hinata repeated herself before receiving another pat on the back of her shoulders that seemed to jar speech into use. "I-I...just w-wanted t-to a-apologize...f-for m-my s-sister..."

_'Sister?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he tilted his head to the side in confusion as the squinty eyed look slipped onto his face.

**"She's talking about that white eyed bitch from yesterday."** Kyuubi growled darkly.

Naruto sighed before scratching the back of his head. "It's not your fault, Hinata. You didn't do anything wrong."

Kurenai smiled a little brighter and clasped Hinata's shoulder. "You see, Hinata? I told you he didn't hold a grudge."

Hinata bit her lip as she felt her tears rising to her eyes quickly. Clasping her hands tightly in front of herself, she stuttered out around a sob, "But...hic but If N-Naruto-kun h-had gotten hurt sniff because of Hanabi..."

**"Oh, for Kami's sake, make her shut up already."** Kyuubi moaned. **"She whines more than that stupid sand biju ever did."**

Naruto didn't know the first thing of calming a crying girl down, and Hinata confused him even worse. Looking to Kurenai for help, the Raven haired woman knelt down next to Hinata and wrapped Hinata into a gentle hug, stroking her hair and cooing to the poor girl. Naruto watched them, a pain in his gut wrenching in a way that he had never experienced before.

**"Ignore it."** Kyuubi commented, flicking one of its tails as it yawned. **"It's not worth the effort. We don't need that emotion anyways."** Naruto didn't understand, and wondered if maybe he never would.

* * *

"I'm home." Sakura called out as she walked through the front door.

"Welcome home, dear." Sayuri called from the kitchen. "You're back early."

Sakura sighed from the front door as she removed her ninja sandals, feeling the need to explain to her mother. She headed to the kitchen in the back of the house to sit at the dinner table as her mother continued to cook. "We kinda failed our mission today, mom."

"Aw, that's too bad, hun." Sayuri spoke as she worked, listening, and yet, not listening to her daughter at the same time.

"You don't understand, mom." Sakura looked at her mom's back. "We _failed_ a mission. That's like a career killer for a ninja, especially when they're still Genin."

"Oh." Sayuri seemed to come out of whatever thoughts she was having. "I'm sorry to hear that." Sayuri turned back to the food cooking as her daughter crossed her arms on the tabletop and sighed. "I'm sure that you'll still have a career, honey. Maybe as a doctor?"

Sakura sighed as she turned her head toward her mom. "I guess I could be a medic. I was planning on learning how to be a better medic nin, but being a doctor wouldn't be too bad."

Sayuri smiled as she nodded. "It's not such a bad job. I enjoy doing it."

"You're not a ninja, mom." Sakura mumbled, too low for her to be heard.

"Did you say something, Sakura?" Sayuri asked, her ears picking up something that sounded like her daughter, though not the words that were behind it.

"No, mom." Sakura said as she stood up. I'm going to get a shower before I eat. Even though we failed, I'm covered in dirt." Sakura said as she headed for the stairs in the living room.

"Lunch will be ready soon, dear, so don't shower too long." Sayuri called out to her daughter as she finished her portion and reached into the ice box pulling out a portion for Sakura.

Sakura headed for the room to grab a change of clothes before heading for the bathroom and the furo, placing her clothing on the changing stand and shucking her current clothes off before heading in to wash off.

She sat down on the stool in the washing area and turned the water on, hurrying to get herself wet as she thought about what she had seen before Kakashi had called the mission off. Sasuke had looked extremely mad about something, almost as if he wanted to kill Kakashi. She shivered at the look of rage on her Sasuke, wondering if there was something wrong that she didn't know about but could help out with in some way.

_'Maybe Sasuke is going through a hard time?"_ Sakura thought before wanting to bop herself on the head for being so stupid. _'Of course, he's going through a hard time, Sakura. He lives by himself, he even saw his entire family killed off by the person who had killed off all the other Uchiha.'_ Shaking her head to get some of the water off of her, she took a washcloth and began to scrub her body carefully, making sure not to rub too hard and make her skin look abrasive.

**'We could take care of Sasuke.'** Her inner self spoke conspiratorially with herself. **'If we could just get Sasuke alone for a few minutes, then we could get him to tell us his problems and we could make them go away.'** Sakura grinned happily in a fantasy of her and Sasuke together, doing all sorts of things she'd read about in her mom's books next to her bed.

_'But, what if his problems involve doing something difficult?'_ Her mind snapped her out of her daydream as she suddenly realized that whatever may be troubling Sasuke might actually be something she couldn't do. She didn't exactly practice the more physical skills while she was in the academy, and even now, she was a pretty bad Kunoichi. _'That Tenten girl from the spandex wonder twins was a better ninja than she was.'_

**'Then we can get Naruto to do it.'** Her inner self reasoned. **'You saw how many clones he was able to create. He's got to have a lot of strength to be able to do something like that. All we gotta do is convince him to help us out.'**

"Easier said than done." Sakura sighed as she finished scrubbing off, standing up to head back over to her towel. She wasn't exactly friendly with Naruto, in fact, she wondered if he wasn't a little weird in the head. He just kept looking at her with that creepy, squinty eyed gaze of his. And what kind of ninja wears orange clothes? No, she really didn't think going to Naruto was going to help her any in getting Sasuke's heart.

* * *

He had been walking for a long time. They said it was in this direction, but all these trees and leaves and endless dirt roads looked the same to him. Maybe he was lost again? There were no businesses on the way, he'd been told. He'd also been told it'd only be two days from the nearest town to the ninja village. Nuts to that, he'd been walking for what felt like five days.

As he made his way out of the edge of the forest, he stopped in shock at the huge gate in front of him that stood closed in front of him. He turned around and looked back at the woods he had just come from before looking back at the gate that stood taller than any building he'd ever heard about, and maybe a mountain or two.

Noticing the two men that were standing at the front of the gate, and wondering if they had been there the first time or if they had simply noticed him and suddenly appeared, he shrugged before heading over to the two ninja clad men.

"Halt!" One of them ordered him at about thirty feet away from the closed gate. "State your business, or leave!"

_'Is this how most ninja's conduct business with strangers?'_ He thought to himself before adjusting the pack on his back by the straps around his shoulders. "I've come to speak with someone about a mission?" He didn't want to show the fear, but being so far away from his home and his work, plus being lost and maybe even being stalked was making him very nervous. He reached for the bottle at his hip, unconsciously uncorking it before tilting the mouth to his and taking a long swig of Sake.

The ninjas looked toward each other before one of them moved forward, his hand kept near a side holster for his ninja weapons. Coming to within a few feet of him, the ninja looked him up and down before speaking to him cautiously. "We're closed for the day, Sir. Afternoon traffic is done and the village is closed until early morning tomorrow."

He sighed as he scratched at his beard. "Is there some place I can camp at near the gates? I'd rather not get lost in the forest again. I've come a long way to hire a mission from your village."

The ninja looked at him strangely before taking in his clothes. "You're not from fire country, are you?"

He grinned. "You could tell?" Scratching underneath his hat, he continued. "I've been walking all over for materials and loans to this super bridge I'm building in wave country. Unfortunately, I think a bunch of bandits have decided that I'm a target now and have been following me for the last few days." He clasped his hands and hit his knees with a wince as he crouched suddenly before the ninja. "Please, Mr. Ninja, ya gotta let me stay somewhere close by. I got a lovely young daughter and a cute little grand son at home that needs me, or they'll starve. They'll blame..."He stopped for a second before realizing he didn't know which ninja village he was at, but new an easy way around that, "They'll blame you heartless ninja for letting me die and they'll swear vengeance against you and your village."

The ninja looked like he didn't know what to do with an old man in front of him pleading his heart out.

"Look, old man, just camp out right over there at the edge of the woods." He scratched at his brown mane of hair, the bandages over the middle of his face running from one side to the other. "I'll even get you a scroll so that you can file your mission for the Hokage to read instead of having you go and fill one out in the morning, ok?"

"Hokage?" The old man tilted his head. That meant he was in fire country, and this was Konohagakure. "Uh...Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you very much, Mr. Ninja."

"The name's Kotetsu." The ninja smiled to him before leaping back over to his partner before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Smiling to himself, the old man couldn't believe his luck. He'd made it to one of the most strongest ninja villages in Hi no Kuni. There had to be someone here to help him get rid of that tyrant. _'You're gonna get yours, Gato, or I'm not the super bridge builder of the wave, Tazuna!'_

* * *

**This is it, the final chapter before the start of the wave arc. If you haven't voted on the poll I have on my profile, this is your absolutely last chance for doing so. When the next chapter gets posted, the poll will be locked and the results will be used for what will be the decision you will have to live with.**

**I promise only one thing. By the end of the wave arc, you will come to hate me.**


	11. Ripples in the Water

**Dynamikku Entorii!! It has begun, The Wave Arc is now in Full Swinging Motion! You have voted, and I have taken it as a sign from the divine that you want it your way, right away! Well, tough! I'll get to it eventually, but when I feel like it.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by someone, most likely very rich. That would not be me, thank you. -.-**

**G.B.: It's shorter than I usually write, but it was a good place to end it. For those of you that have complained that I de-aged the women around Naruto who are still reading this, I de-aged a lot of them. Ninja Life is Hard and Quick! If you managed to make it into your mid 30's, it's a fricken miracle, or you're just that darn good, in my opinion.**

* * *

"Raven, moving in to position." The scratchy voice in Kakashi's ear piece echoed slightly as Sasuke's voice came back to him.

"Pinky, in position and waiting for command." Sakura sounded as if she was barely putting up with the mission. Of course, it probably had something to do with the code name she had been given.

Kakashi flipped a page as silence projected itself through the earpiece. Kakashi tapped the earpiece to hear static, making sure that it didn't suddenly break before pressing the transmit. "Blondie, report." Kakashi spoke before going back to thumb his book. He didn't get a line read when he stopped, a frown creasing his masked face as he re-keyed his mike. "Blondie, report immediately."

"Naruto, answer Kakashi sensei already!" Sakura voice hissed over the communications line.

Silence answered both of them.

"All units, abort the mission and find Naruto. He may have been compromised." Kakashi put his book away into his vest and took off into the trees toward the area Naruto was supposed to approach from.

"How the hell can you get compromised on a retrieval mission?" Sasuke muttered over the airwaves, giving Kakashi a headache. There'd better be a protection mission to do soon, he was swiftly losing his patience.

The sound of a cat fight of epic proportions drew his attention. Landing on a branch above the fight, Kakashi felt a sweat drop form. Naruto was fighting the cat on its own level. Every time it tried to get away from him, he would make the hand sign for the Kage Bunshin, making a clone appear in its path that would get clawed up before it would blow up and herd the cat back toward Naruto. He didn't have a second to reach his ear piece, which explained why he didn't respond when ordered.

Sasuke and Sakura appeared not long after that, watching as Naruto growled back at the hissing, brown haired buzz saw. They watched as he reached for the cat, only to jerk his hand away as it tried to claw his arm off before bolting, to which Naruto started the whole process over again.

"Oh my god, we're supposed to catch that?" Sakura asked as she watched the brown haired tabby with a red ribbon on its tail killed a Kage Bunshin, before charging Naruto.

Naruto kept one hand in his sleeve as the cat jumped up at him, raising the protected arm up in front of his face. The cat began to chew and claw the protected arm up as Naruto reached with his other hand and grabbed the cat by its scruff.

He pulled the cat away from his abused coat, mindful to watch as it tried to twist out of his grip before hissing balefully at Naruto and struggling for a little while longer.

"Mission accomplished." Naruto commented dryly as he kept one eye on the cat, looking his sleeve over. He may need a new coat after this mission.

"Really, Naruto." Sakura huffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Couldn't you wait until we were in position to help you?"

Naruto eyed her before thrusting the cat forward toward her face. The sudden fire it lit in the animal induced ear piercing yowling and fits of clawing in her direction that made her jump away with a shriek.

"If you want, you can hold it for awhile." Naruto offered flatly. Sakura quickly shook her head.

"Let's just get back to the tower. We could probably get one more in before training a little bit more." The frown that graced all three on his students prompted to try and egg them into doing better with a sudden, "The Chuunin exams will be coming back to Konoha in a year after Kumo and Ame hold them. We need a bare requirement of missions done to enter."

Sasuke eyes took on a dark gleam as he pocketed his hands and nearly ran over Sakura as he headed for the tower. Sakura looked surprised for a moment before being jostled roughly by Sasuke. She headed off after her crush, making sure to stay clear of the deadly clawed wonder that was the cat. Naruto sighed, shaking his head at his teammates before following after them with Kakashi.

"That was low, even for you, Kakashi sensei." Naruto commented, making sure to keep the cat far from anything fleshy on him.

Kakashi eyed him as he walked beside his blonde student. "Whatever do you mean, Naruto?"

Naruto eyed Kakashi before returning his gaze before him. "The bribe about the Chuunin exams." Naruto answered, making a disgusted sound in his throat. "We'll be eaten alive and you know it."

Kakashi did know. Watching Sakura and Sasuke walking ahead of them, he could only sigh at his team. It was obvious that Sasuke thought only about himself, Sakura thought only of Sasuke, and Naruto didn't like either of them. If he put them in the upcoming Chuunin exam in Konoha, they'd be lucky to make it out alive. That is, if Sasuke didn't kill his pink haired shadow first.

_"Hopefully, Hokage-sama has a bodyguard mission we can go on."_ Kakashi prayed to Kami. He'd curse Kami's name later for that wish.

* * *

"Mission accomplished." Sarutobi announced as the Fire Daimyo's wife left with a cat that was being smothered to death with 'love'. Personally, he'd have called that love an extra hundred pounds of life sucking asphyxiation, but he was old enough to ignore such things. Assassin's sent to defend the honor of the Fire Daimyo's wife were as hard to come by as good help was. "Since it appears you have time for another D Rank mission, you have your choices." Sarutobi started to sort through the scrolls on his desk, muttering out loud as he read the request titles on the outside of them.

"Actually, Hokage-sama, I was wondering if you happened to come across that requested mission I asked for." Kakashi spoke up, peaking the interest of his students and one Umino Iruka, teacher to the current year's Genin squads.

"Requested mission?" Iruka asked aloud as he sorted through the mission requests. It was a bit unusual for a Genin squad to ask for a specific mission. Maybe they were being tortured in a certain way that was called 'training'?

Sarutobi eyed Kakashi for a moment before looking at the three Genin before him. Sasuke looked positively pleased with himself, almost as if he was receiving a sex ed. lesson personally, and without the aid of a book. Sakura smiled brightly at Sasuke, the very personification of fangirl, which made his teeth ache from the sheer happiness. Only Naruto continued to glance between Kakashi and him with suspicions as he reached into his desk and pulled out a scroll.

"It must be your lucky day today, Kakashi." The Sandaime answered as he pulled a mission up from the drawer hidden from everyone's sight. "I just so happen to have a C Rank mission made with your team in mind."

"A C Rank?" Iruka sputtered before slamming his hands into the desktop and standing up abruptly. "Kakashi, they haven't been Genin for that long. You're asking the impossible of them!" Everyone turned to look at his outraged face as if he had suddenly broke down and began foaming at the mouth.

"Actually, Iruka, as I just said, this C Rank is specifically tailored for them." Sarutobi spoke again, the inflection in his voice warning Iruka to watch his tone in front of a superior. Iruka, obviously, didn't take the hint.

"But, Hokage-sama! They just graduated the academy! Even if Kakashi had worked them into the ground, there's no way they can have that many missions under their them to allow a C Rank!" He gestured down at his records, and those in the room had to wonder if Iruka hadn't blown some kind of mental gasket to speak to the Hokage so disrespectfully.

Kakashi didn't want to do it, but it would save a whole lot of trouble and get the Hokage to at least move this along without having to bring to task one of his better teachers from the academy. "Actually, I'm sure if you look at those records again, you'll see they've completed at least 20 D Ranks since becoming an active cell, which is enough to make them eligible for a C Rank."

Iruka looked disbelievingly at Kakashi before abruptly sitting down and flipping through the official mission book he was reordering. He had been hard at work scribing down completed missions from scrolls for the archives, so finding Team 7's records was no trouble for him. He nearly swallowed his tongue when he stared at the page before him.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama." Iruka spoke solemnly, bowing his head in shame. "It appears as if Kakashi is correct."

"Huh?" Sakura blurted out, earning her a scathing look from Sasuke. Sasuke didn't care what the truth was, a C Rank would make that failed mission go away faster than you could cast a Katon jutsu.

"As I was saying," Sarutobi made sure to eye Iruka reprovingly before pressing a button on his desk for his secretary, ""I have something for Team 7 to accomplish that only they can do."

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" The voice of his secretary outside the room answered him from a concealed speaker on his desk. All the paperwork was hiding it better than a Henge.

"Send in Tazuna." Sarutobi responded and the snap of the speaker as it was shut off from the secretary's side answered him. "I'm ordering Team 7 on a bodyguard mission to Nami no Kuni. The man you are to protect is a bridge builder heading back to his country after making the necessary business to complete his job in his country. Your job is to protect this man with your lives until he completes his bridge."

**"A protection mission?"** Kyuubi sneered in his head. **"Couldn't we have gotten something a little bloodier for us to sink our claws into?"**

_'Just our luck, the mission will turn into some long, drawn out fight.'_ Naruto snorted as he waited for the other shoe to drop.

**"You do realize that you're asking for trouble, don't you?"** Kyuubi snickered, watching as Naruto sweat dropped.

The doors to the Hokage's room opened up and in walked an old man dressed in a green overshirt and tan pants that were cut short around the shins. His large, wicker hat covered his eyes, forcing him to tilt it up to look at them. His gray goatee and little wired glasses peered at the people in the room before he lifted the jug of sake he was carrying up to his lips and drank heavily from it before wiping his lips on the back of his other hand.

"They told me that you'd assigned my guards?" The old man spoke with a slightly drunken lisp before trying to stifle a belch.

"As a matter of fact, I just did." The Hokage stood up and gestured to Team 7. "Meet your guard detail."

The old man peered at all of them carefully. "This is my guard detail?" He asked with a skeptical voice, barely loud enough to carry. "If this is some kind of joke, it's not humorous. They're just a bunch of kids."

Kakashi cleared his throat, putting his fist before where his mouth ought to be at before speaking plainly. "A C Rank mission like what you requested for is exactly what you get. Should my team not be able to handle certain aspects of the mission, I am a Jounin and have taken harder missions than a bodyguard mission." The old man didn't looked convinced in the least, so Kakashi added, "You shouldn't worry about anything until the end of the mission. We have everything well in hand."

Tazuna still had doubts. "That may be, but look at your students." Tazuna pointed at Sakura first. "How does a ninja with bright pink hair hide in a green forest without being seen?"

Sakura winced at the fact. _'So I have natural pink hair, so what? I'm still a competent ninja...'_

"And pink?" Tazuna continued. "It's an obviously terrible dye job. Either blonde or red hair, but don't choose something so fake. It makes her forehead stick out so much more with how long it is."

Naruto actually had to grab hold of Sakura and prevent her for leaping toward Tazuna's throat so she could rip it out for him. He was managing to keep her back, though just barely.

"The raven haired kid looks like he's gone some skill," Tazuna grumped and Sasuke straightened a little under the praise, "though why his hair is shaped like a duck's ass..." Tazuna just didn't know what was with these ninjas and their eccentricities. Sasuke glared hotly at Tazuna, reaching for his weapons satchel.

Tazuna looked to be nearly ready to complain about Naruto as Sarutobi finally decided to step in. "If you wish to rescind your bodyguard job, we are willing to return your money to you, but this is the team that will be going with you, whether you like it or not. It is your decision, since you are the client."

Tazuna's mouth clicked shut before he shook his head. He needed them worse than they needed his money, and if this was the best he was getting, then they'd have to do. Hopefully, they were better than they appeared to be. "In that case, I'll the Super Bridge Builder, Tazuna of Nami no Kuni. I am in your hands."

Team 7 turned around to face Sarutobi, waiting to be dismissed. "Gather together what you may need for this long journey, and may the Flame of Konoha guide you." With that, he dismissed them.

* * *

Tazuna stood at the entrance way into the village, waiting for the team that he had hired. He felt bad about kids coming with him, especially with them not knowing the real reason why he needed them. He had tried to get a B Rank, as they called it, but with everything he had spent to getting the bridge built, the village had run out on credit and, even pooling together what they could donate, it was barely enough for a C Rank.

"Man, these ninja don't come cheap." Tazuna muttered as he took a swig from his sake bottle. "Let's just hope they're worth it."

"Sasuke-kun!" The high pitched call from down the street made him look up for some reason and he could clearly see the raven haired boy and the pinked haired girl he had made fun of earlier.

He winced as he watched them, one acting a bit broody and trying to present the tough boy look that most boys went through at that age while the girl quickly catching up to him reminded him of a very love struck teenage girl. He wanted to wince again in regret and wondered yet again what kind of ninjas were they if they were allowed out of their village on a mission that could possibly kill them at such a young age.

The raven haired teen looked around, most likely looking for the sliver haired fellow who was supposed to be leading this team of young ninja before finding a spot near the gate that allowed a good view while being inconspicuous at the same time. The pink haired girl trying to get his attention didn't help his hiding in the least bit.

They only waited a few minutes before the silver haired ninja appeared in a whirl of leaves, reading a little orange book. He didn't even bother looking up before raising his hand halfheartedly. "Yo." He called, waiting for both Sasuke and Sakura to come walking over to him.

"Wow, you're actually on time." Sakura said as she walked around him, peering closely at him and the cover of his book.

"A ninja showing up late is a very bad ninja." Kakashi said sagely, though he flipped the page in his book idly.

Sakura nodded sagely at him before stepping back a few steps and making the Ram seal with her hands. "Kai!" She pulsed her chakra toward Kakashi.

Kakashi stopped reading and looked over the top at his Kunoichi. "May I ask what you're doing?"

Sakura stared at Kakashi hard for a moment before forming the Ram seal again. "Kai!" She let loose a stronger pulse at Kakashi, who started to sweat drop.

"It's got to be a stronger Genjutsu than you can throw off." Sasuke commented.

Sakura huffed at Sasuke. "You try then."

Kakashi's sweatdrop grew.

Sasuke approached Kakashi, preparing to make the Ram sign when he froze and his hand whipped down to his holster, fingers lifting the flap up and a kunai eye ring already slid onto his middle finger. Kakashi blinked at the sudden hostile action of Sasuke and even Sakura jumped in surprise away from him, unsure what was going on. It was only when Kakashi looked behind him did he see what had made the raven haired boy go defensive.

Naruto stood behind Kakashi as if he had always been there, a knapsack over his shoulder looking as if he was travelling as light as he could while bringing a few things to eat. He looked at Kakashi with is emotionless, squinty look as his hand adjusted on the strap of the satchel over his shoulder.

"Are we ready to go?" Naruto asked, slightly agitated that his team was looking at him the way they were.

"Naruto, was that a Genjutsu?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrow raised slightly. He didn't think Naruto could even _do_ Genjutsu.

Naruto nodded before frowning. "I can't hold it for long, but yeah..."

Kakashi eyed Naruto for a moment before turning around and motioning for Tazuna to come over to him. As soon as Tazuna walked over, Kakashi began. "Alright, since we'll be travelling through the wild for most of the time out, I want you Naruto to be in scout position. Sasuke, you'll be walking nearby to Tazuna, to protect him at all costs. Sakura, you'll be behind both Tazuna and Sasuke as backup should the worst happen. Anything to say before we begin?"

Sakura raised her hand, waiting for Kakashi to nod at her. "Any reason why we're going out in formation? I mean, there's no one nearby Konoha who would openly attack this close to the city."

"Which is why we're going out in formation." Kakashi could see the confusion in her face, so he elaborated. "The quickest way to make sure a mission fails is to attack them as they set out. If a desperate bandit group attacked as we stepped out by, say, shooting Tazuna with a bow and arrow from a concealed spot, we fail before we really ever began." Sakura and Sasuke glanced at Tazuna, while Naruto looked out the gates toward the forests beyond. "Any other questions?"

"You sure this is safe?" Tazuna asked skeptically, eyeing the kids once more with a heavy frown.

Kakashi eye smiled to the old man before giving the order to head out.

* * *

Yuugao and Anko landed at the gates to the village as they watched Team 7 disappear into the forest, heading off on their mission. Yuugao wondered along the same lines as Tazuna, wondering if sending out those Genin into the world only half trained was such a great idea. Anko was as unreadable as the ANBU's mask, face blank as she watched them go.

"It's not going to be the same." Yuugao commented softly to her partner's ears. Anko didn't respond, prompting Yuugao to want to fill in the relative silence with some kind of comment. "Now that he's out of the village, what are you going to do with all the spare time?"

Frowning slightly, Anko put her hands in her pockets and spun on her heel, leaving Yuugao without answering her. Yuugao watched her leave much as she had just watched Team 7 head off.

* * *

**"It's just that easy."** Kyuubi verbally finished with no amount of condescension in its voice. Naruto, who had been running scout since losing sight of Konoha, was being instructed in the power of the illusion and its possibilities with the skills of the ninja world.

_'It still sounds like Genjutsu to me...'_ Naruto mentally commented back to the tail demon inside of him, frowning all the while as he moved from one section to the next along the road.

**"I've told you not to refer you human's pathetic attempts of illusions with My illusions."** The Kyuubi snarled at Naruto, offended. **"I can make a person believe my illusions to the point that their mind dies when they believe they are killed, leaving only a body behind that continues to live on while the thing that makes you parasites exist is wiped away."**

Naruto frowned, unable to do more than complain at the Kyuubi for the way it talked about humans. It was literally impossible for him to harm the Kyuubi, even when he stood before the giant sealed gate. How could he harm the beast? He was about four foot nine whereas the Kyuubi was as tall as the Hokage Mountain. There'd be a reckoning, but not until the Kyuubi had begun to turn human.

**"Hold it, kit."** The sudden urging from the tailed demon brought him up short. The pathway had opened up for a short distance, the forests receding in a pocket of clearing, allowing for an easy view from one edge of the forest to another.

Well, not completely clear. There was a large puddle of water standing in the middle of the pathway nearly perfectly in the middle from one wood line to the other. _'I don't see anything...'_ Naruto thought to the demon as he scanned the area as carefully as he could.

**"It's not something you can see with your eyes."** Kyuubi snorted. **"Head back to your team, and be prepared for the worst."**

_'Just tell me what the problem is.'_ Naruto nearly demanded. The fox had always eluded vaguely when something was about to go bad. It was like the Fox enjoyed watching the 'surprises' more than the people who 'surprised' him.

The Kyuubi didn't answer him, settling into waiting for whatever was going to happen and driving Naruto nearly up a wall in aggravation. Heading back to his party who was beginning to come into range of hearing, he picked up Sakura's question to who he guessed was Tazuna.

"So what's Wave Country like? I've never been outside of Fire country before." She asked without any hesitation, curiosity coating every word.

There was a bit of hesitation when Tazuna spoke up. "Wave Country is a beautiful land, and the only home I'll ever know." The old man spoke reverently. "It's a lot of small islands along a region of coastline, so there's no real land for our own ninja force, but because of the isolation, we're a bunch of Super hard workers." His voice filled with pride as he continued.

"The men and women work hard right along side each other, helping with anything we need to get done, from irrigation to building boats. We've never had to ask for outside help before until now, so we weren't prepared for the costs of you ninjas."

"That almost sounds like you're regretting your decision to hire us, Tazuna-san." Kakashi spoke in an offhand manner, most likely his nose being buried in his book as he talked.

"I'm sorry that I always sound like that." Tazuna truly did sound remorseful for a change. "It's just that I never expected your village leader to send kids far away from the country of their birth."

"We're not kids anymore." Sasuke commented, sounded offended at the mere thought of being seen as a kid. "We've done our time, spent hours on hours on becoming ninjas, taken our practical tests. We're more than ready for a mission like this."

Tazuna watched the raven haired boy for a moment before saying "Forgive me if I don't believe you."

Sasuke had turned around to face Tazuna, looking as if he was about to finish what was started in the Hokage's office when Naruto Landed in front of them. Sakura let out a shocked "Eep!" at Naruto's sudden appearance, blushing badly as she started to become angry at him for scaring her.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book at his blonde teammate.

"It might not be anything..." Naruto began.

"Then what are you doing scaring us, you idiot?" Sakura nearly shrieking decibels quickly as Kakashi placed his hand on her shoulder, calming her.

Naruto eyed her blankly for a moment before looking up at Kakashi. "You said to report in if anything looked suspicious."

Kakashi nodded as he looked back down into his book again. "Sasuke, take point. Sakura, in the middle with Tazuna. Naruto, stay close to both of them."

Sasuke eyed Naruto with a dirty glance before putting his hands forcibly into his pockets and heading off in front of the party. Tazuna gave the silver haired Jounin a worried look before heading off after Sasuke. Sakura huffed at Naruto before following the old man, staying slightly ahead of Tazuna and in sight of Sasuke. Kakashi came up next to Naruto before looking down at him from the side , not moving his face from the pages.

"Naruto..." Kakashi spoke quietly to the blonde Genin, who continued to watch his team walk away. "I'm going to need you to protect your team."

Naruto visibly twitched. "Will I have to kill?" He asked, quietly.

Kakashi sighed, before moving after his team. "Not this time, Naruto. Maybe soon, but not now..."

* * *

Sasuke walked into the clearing, seething with frustration. The blonde idiot suspected that something ahead of them was dangerous. What in the world could be dangerous to ninjas? Maybe other ninjas, of course, but they had an old bridge builder as their contractor who was returning home after resupplying. This was such a low class mission, and the old man had the gall to say that they weren't ninjas.

Sakura was standing not far behind him, leaving Tazuna's side by a good margin as she worried about Sasuke, unconsciously gravitating toward her heart throb. She needed to show him support, she needed to show him concern, but most importantly, she needed to show that she was useful to him.

Tazuna glanced back at the two trailing ninja, the silver haired pervert and the creepy blonde haired kid with the marks on his face. He'd seen the orange books for sale in Konoha, and had found out that they were some sort of smut in a bright wrapping. As fast as they were being sold, Konoha was probably breeding perverts daily. The blonde haired kid probably thought that whisker marks on his cheeks would make him look cute, which it didn't do. It just added to the aura of weirdness that seemed to hang around him.

He turned back to face forward, watching as the black haired kid crossed through a large puddle in the middle of the road, unconcerned if his sandals got wet or not. That kid had a lot more things wrong with him than just his broody attitude. In his own opinion, he needed his butt handed to him. The pink haired girl danced around the puddle, glancing down at it before looking worriedly up at her crush as she passed it by.

"Kakashi..." Tazuna called out as he passed the puddle, the blonde seeming to hitch at the water before Kakashi nudged him past it. "Aren't you worried that something will happen to your team?"

Sasuke and Sakura stopped where they were as they looked back at Tazuna, Sasuke scowling and Sakura looking thankful that someone would be concerned about her, if unnecessary. Kakashi looked up from his book as he passed the puddle, stopping just on the other side of the water. He eye smiled to everyone as he spoke with heartfelt feelings. "I may be a ninja, and it may be a terrible job to have, but my teammates will not have anything to worry as long as I'm with them. I'll protect them with my life."

Naruto watched his sensei, wondering what Kakashi was trying to say by that statement. Did that mean that he would even protect him, when he had been unprotected for so long? His body healed from almost everything, and it had been tested very often by a lot of things. There may yet be something out there that can hurt him to the point where he can't heal from it, but he hadn't found it yet. Did Kakashi really mean it?

**"Baka!"** The Kyuubi pierced his consciousness with pain, forcefully bringing Naruto's attention to the tailed demon. **"The Water! We're under attack!"**

True to the Kyuubi's untimely warning, the puddle of water exploded upward in the form of two men dressed in piece meal armor and furs. One hand on each of them was encased with a deadly bladed gauntlet, the fingers turned into razor sharp talons. Water breathing masks fit snugly over their faces, leaving their eyes exposed, their Hitae-ate's modified to have horns either next to or above the scratched out symbol of the mist.

Wrapped tightly in a chain made out of four point shurikens, Kakashi didn't have a chance as they tugged tightly in separate directions, ripping him into bloody thirds.

"One down..." The taller of the two men rasped through his face mask/respirator as the two men's eyes turned toward the shocked party. "And soon..."

"None to go!" The second shouted as they both charged toward the party.

Naruto jumped forward reflexively, and was back handed out of the way by the second man's weaponless arm. Sakura stood frozen behind an equally frozen Tazuna, and was only brought back to awareness when Sasuke pushed her toward Tazuna, tossing a kunai at the chain in between the two men. The weapon didn't quite stop the whipping chain between the two men, but it did manage to stick briefly in the ground before they wrenched it free and continued onward.

Sakura reflexively pulled out a kunai and held it in a reverse handed grip as she stood in front of Tazuna, scared out of her mind and hoping that Sasuke could do something to stop the murderers from getting to her. Sasuke pulled out his own kunai and took a reverse grip with it before sneering at the two men, waiting for their strike.

Armored, bladed hands reared back and prepared to cleave through Sasuke before they jerked unexpectedly to a stop. Looking back along the now taut chain, Naruto grit his teeth at them as he held them back with everything he had, his bare hands holding on tightly to the chain.

"Gutsy." The second of the two, the single horned ninja, said. "Bro?"

"He's already dead." The taller ninja with two horns coming out around the symbol of the mist announced. "Cut loose."

The metal fell away from the gauntlets, the shurikens falling away from each other when the chain separated from the gauntlets. The two rushed forward once again as Naruto fell back on his ass only to be quickly stopped by a double clothesline courtesy of the silver haired pervert, Kakashi, who had materialized in their path.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted out in thankful surprise as Kakashi finished up the stun move on the two foreign ninjas with chops to their necks.

"You mean..." Tazuna gasped out as the fear finally released him from near paralysis.

"A basic ninja trick." Kakashi said as he turned to his wounded student and studied the cut open skin that was already healing. Taking out a kunai and slamming it down into the hole in the middle of the a shuriken that had previously been in a chain. He held it up before him, watching as it dripped with something wet looking, and clearly not water. "Naruto, that was brave and very stupid of you to do. You'll have to open your hands up again to get the poison out."

"Poison?" Sakura looked sick as she looked at the blood dripping from the backs of Naruto's hands while Kakashi inspected Naruto's wounds.

"Now," Kakashi said as he stood up, not watching as Naruto took out a kunai and slashed his hands open dramatically, spraying blood off to the sides before flicking both slashed open hands, "You mind explaining why two missing nins want you dead, Tazuna?" He gave the old man a hard glare as Sakura looked sickly at Naruto.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tazuna said, sweating bullets. If they found out the truth, they may leave him alone.

"You've been acting suspiciously ever since meeting us in the Hokage's office. The constant questions about the ability of our skills, the guilty glances you thought no one noticed, and now the attack on you by two missing Chuunin nins from the Hidden Mist." Kakashi's eye narrowed, pinning Tazuna with a mild form of killer intent. "You're being hunted, aren't you?"

Tazuna looked around him for help. Sasuke was giving him a suspicious eyes, Sakura looked like a kicked puppy with the look she was giving him, and Naruto looked blankly with his squinty eyed look. He'd never felt more guilty in his life looking at those kids. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his head at them.

"Although I'm just a bridge builder from Wave Country, the bridge I'm building is super important to my village." Tazuna gave them a focused look as he explained. "Wave Country was a peaceful collection of islands that made its living with simple things being sold off for a modest sum. Basically, we're a collection of merchants and traders. I guess that's how we drew the attention of Gatou..."

"Gatou? Of Gatou shipping?" Kakashi was getting a bad feeling.

"That's what he said when he first came to us, offering to sell our stuff for us to a larger group of people than the few companies we had selling our supplies. Even offered us a better percentage of profits than the competition, undercutting them by a Super huge margin." Tazuna sighed before looking piteously down at the ground. "That was before he started shipping in thugs and illegal products, like drugs and the like."

This was quickly turning out to be a bad thing for Kakashi. he wanted a simply bodyguard mission for his team, not a revolution. "You lied to our Hokage about the mission specifics. This was supposed to be a bodyguard mission, what you're talking about sounds more along the lines of espionage and assassination."

"Killing Gatou is impossible." Tazuna shook his head. "He has too many people around him all the time. No, what I need are people who can guard me and my bridge as we finish the work on it. With it open, Gatou won't be able to stop us from shipping our products once again, and then we can finally bring in the Daimyo's people to get rid of the Tyrant."

Kakashi wanted to curse aloud, but settled for glaring hotly at Tazuna. This was way beyond what is team was ready for, let alone they were most likely going to be facing off against Jounin's next, let alone the several hundred thugs Tazuna was alluding to. Sakura had froze up in front of Tazuna, her training placing her into danger instinctively. Sasuke, at least, had reacted to protect the man and his teammate, though why he had tried to pin the chain down was beyond him. If Naruto hadn't stopped their assault...

"You lied on your mission application for services that we are unprepared for." Kakashi spat harshly, making Tazuna wince at the heat in Kakashi's words. "You not only lied to our Hokage, but to us as well, putting our lives into danger. This mission is over, good luck getting home, Tazuna."

"What?!" Sasuke shouted, staring balefully at Kakashi. "You're making us quit another mission?"

"This isn't a mission for you, this is suicide." Kakashi spat, seeing that Sasuke didn't understand, or refused to understand. "The first wave of opposition we met was Chuunin level, then next is going to be ANBU or Jounin level at the least! I can only fight off one, maybe two Jounin at the most without backup."

"Kakashi." Naruto broke in on the silver haired Jounin in a tone that made the man full body wince. Turning to look at the blonde ninja over his shoulder, Naruto said, "He needs our help."

"Naruto..." He'd seen that look on the boy when he had worked in ANBU, when he and Yamato had watched over him before passing it on to his more ineffective protectors. "We can't. I'm sorry."

Naruto seemed to hold his gaze for a few moments before the blonde Genin reached up and undid the Hitae-ate from around his head and held it out for his sensei. "I'll go, then. No one will miss me all that much."

"Idiot!" Sakura shouted at her blonde teammate, anger in her eyes. "Don't you know that you'll be marked as a missing nin? You'll be hunted down for the rest of your life!"

Kakashi watched Naruto as he continued to hold out his Hitae-ate out to him when Tazuna sighed. "Actually, it's best that none of you come with me. I wasn't kidding when I said that there's probably no chance of you fighting off Gatou. I'm sorry to get you all involved in this." The old man had turned away and was beginning to walk off as he spoke openly, "Hopefully my daughter won't openly hate Konoha for letting her old man die, and my grandson won't do something stupid like swearing vengeance against all of you."

Kakashi closed his eye, surrendering. "Tazuna." he called out as he turned back to the old man, who had stopped and turned around to look at them. "We will continue to guard you, however, once your village has enough money, you will be paying the extra funds it costs for a B Rank mission. This is non negotiable. Understood?"

Tazuna nodded, stunned, at the decision. They were going to continue to protect him? Even though they knew that they were most likely going to be killed if they followed him? He watched as Kakashi tied up the two men, tying their fingers to each other with a relatively small metal wire before tying them together at the elbows and then their ankles. Naruto was picking at his palms, tearing little pieces of skin off and flicking them to the side while the pink haired girl ordered him to stop. She was reaching into her satchel for a roll of bandages as Kakashi finished.

"I'll take care of Naruto, Sakura." The silver haired sensei said, deterring the pink haired Kunoichi. "We need to get going before anything else catches us out in the open. Sasuke is in front on tracking until I can get Naruto to relieve him, Sasuke will drop back to the secondary spot behind him afterwards, you'll stay with Tazuna and me. Move out."

Sasuke headed off ahead, already beginning to scout ahead for any more enemy nin, planning on showing up the blonde teammate whereas Sakura gazed after her crush with a worried look as Tazuna and her soon headed after him. Kakashi waited for a moment until they were hidden in the trees before looking at Naruto, who had tied his Hitae-ate back onto his head.

"Are you ok, Naruto?" He asked gently to the blonde ninja.

Naruto nodded. "The mission just got a lot tougher, didn't it?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm afraid so." He looked back off to where his teammates disappeared to. "Do you remember the things Yamato and I taught you before the academy?"

Naruto nodded, knowing Kakashi would pick up on the movement. "My skill with Genjutsu still sucks, but I could probably manage something if necessary."

"That's not what I meant." Kakashi turned to look over at the blonde boy. "I meant the rules we tried to impress on you."

Naruto frowned, but nodded.

"If anything happens to me, you are to get them out in one piece. If I die, the mission is an automatic fail, and you are to take your team and run for Konoha. Do you understand?" Kakashi commented calmly, yet you could tell it was an order he was trying to impress on him. "Promise me, Naruto."

Naruto looked up at him with his squinty eyes before saying, "I promise to follow exactly what you and Yamato-sensei taught me." He jumped off after his team, intent on taking up the scouting position he was best for.

Kakashi had a sneaking suspicion that what they had just agreed to wasn't what he had wanted.

* * *

She waited as, finally, even the Jounin had leapt away after his team, leaving the two missing mist nin tied in the middle of the road for roving patrols to find them. Giving it another full five minutes, she directed the water to harden up around her before pushing her upward through it. She could move in water, but she found Ice to be so much easier to flow through.

Looking down at the two men, her face hidden behind the mask of a hunter nin, she considered them for a moment. They had been with her master the longest, had taken care of her when He couldn't, they had even taught her to wield her senbon and use her chakra for the first time before He had taken over her training.

They were the closest thing to a family she had.

_'Mercy is for the weak, and Failure is not acceptable...'_

Making several one handed signs, she stomped the ice under her feet. **"Hyouton! Sensatsu Suishou!"**

* * *

It had taken them three days to make it to the shore where Tazuna said it would be safe to cross. The dark morning light hid them in pre morning shadows, keeping their boat hidden from eyes as the fog off the ocean protected them. Normally, they would make the crossing in the sunlight, the fog long evaporated and the crossing to be done under safer conditions. However, Tazuna mentioned that these were about the safest conditions there were as patrols of Gatou's men roamed the waterways, looking for anyone trying to smuggle in or out anything that might make money or bring aid to the cut off island.

"This is as far as I'm going, Tazuna." The boatman said as he got them as close to shore as he cloud without beaching the boat. "I'm sorry, but I can't stick my neck out any further than this."

"You've done more than enough." He patted the 30-ish man on his shoulder. "You don't know how much closer you've brought Wave Country..." The man didn't look at all thrilled at the prospect of being free, just scared out of his mind that they were going to get caught at any moment.

"Naruto, Kage Bunshin." Kakashi ordered as he came ashore, his feet conspicuously dry whereas his Genin were soaked up to their knees in sea water.

Naruto made the hand seal and muttered the jutsu command, bringing forth several Kage Bunshin into existence with audible pops of air. Pointing toward the forest, the clones nodded and headed off into the foliage. Sasuke grumbled about how he deserved to have a skill like that whereas Sakura looked around her apprehensively, wondering why the place was so creepy.

Waiting until Naruto nodded, the team headed off into the woods, being guided by Tazuna as he took them on the straightest course to his house. "I'm sorry about heading cross country like this, but travelling b the roadways is asking for trouble."

"We can handle a little wilderness." Kakashi spoke idly, for once not having his book out as he stayed very close to Tazuna. His eye passed over everything with a sweeping motion, picking apart the possible cover areas for ambushes and subtly guiding them away from such places.

Naruto stayed close, constantly on edge and occasionally making new Kage Bunshin as they progressed. His clones needed to disperse on a regular basis to feed him with scouting information, which was wearing on everyone's nerves from the audible popping sound they'd make when he'd create more.

As they neared a lake in a small clearing, it was finally too much for Sakura as Naruto raised his hands for another round of clones. "Are you crazy? They probably know where we're at with all the noise your making!"

Naruto froze, Sasuke froze, Tazuna stood stock still looking at the pink hair girl incredulously. Kakashi sighed dramatically before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well, if they didn't know where we were, they do now." He muttered, bringing a bright blush to Sakura's cheeks as she realized what she just did.

"i'm sorry..." Sakura muttered, looking at the ground as she felt embarrassed. "It's been so long since anything's happened. I'm just getting nervous."

"We might as well stop here for the moment, then." Kakashi offered, seeing that the strain of the possibility of constant attack was starting to take it's toll on Sakura and Sasuke.

Naruto reacted to something out of the corner of their eyes, throwing a kunai into a bush suddenly before charging into the bush after it. Kakashi had his hand into his weapons satchel and had a kunai pulled immediately, Sakura and Sasuke jumping away from the bush as they surrounded Tazuna.

"Naruto?" Kakashi called to him carefully, the sound of metal being ripped from something making a sickening sound before Naruto returned holding a terrified snow hare.

"Jeez, Naruto, you scared the living hell out of that poor animal." Sakura hissed at him as she reached to take the snow hare from him, only for the hare to escape as it was passed between hands.

"Something's wrong." Sasuke announced as he pulled out a kunai, Kakashi's hand making no motion to place the weapon back into his own satchel. "Where are all the animal noises?"

"Eh?" Sakura asked as she realized that she couldn't remember when the birds had stopped singing. Looking around fearfully, she began to cringe reflexively toward the nearest person i.e. Naruto.

Kakashi picked it up first. something in the air that sounded like a flight of locusts. It was a low droning sound that was beginning to pick up volume as it went. His eye widen in recognition when he grabbed Sasuke and Tazuna in a fistful of clothing. "Down!" he shouted as he pulled his student and the old man to the ground with him.

Sakura hesitated, fatally so. She could hear something tearing through the branches coming at them and looked toward the sound as her training had demanded of her, so that she could identify the oncoming threat. Something large glinted in the air, something that Sakura was sure was not a flight of bugs coming at her, and she couldn't for the life of her think to move. The sudden kick to her knees had her fall backwards over herself as whatever it was flew past her face, cutting a few strands out of the air where her head had been.

She laid on the ground helplessly for a second as the sound stopped suddenly with a crunch, impacting close by. Something had fallen into her stomach, something she had missed seeing as whatever had flown over her had obscured it. She moved her hand around till she found what had fallen on top of her and rolled to the side, the feel of something soft and spiky brushing against her digits.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A rough voice spoke from somewhere toward where the crunching sound had come from. Something collapsed near her, but her brain seemed to have frozen on the feel of those spiky things under her hand. "A little Jounin and his Genin party. You're an awful long way away from Konoha, aren't you?"

She felt rapidly cooling skin under her fingers, the bridge of a nose and maybe an eyelash. Sitting up carefully, she looked in a daze at what she was touching.

"Hand over the old man now, and I won't have to kill anymore of your little Genin party..." The voice demanded casually, as if what he had done was nothing. It probably was.

Sakura stared, dumbfounded, into the blue eyes of Uzumaki Naruto, his face in a rictus of determination. the blood running from the severed neck soaking her leg and hip. She didn't even realize she was screaming until much later...

* * *

**No, Naruto is not dead. If you think that, you guys are mental. Yes, That was Haku back at the demon brothers. Yes, Naruto has a problem with killing. He's got a blood hungry demon inside of him that's told him from day one to kill for survival. Since everyone associates him as the demon, wouldn't you try to prove everyone wrong by not killing? (a terrible idea for a ninja, I'm sure)**

**Anything beyond that, leave a complaint/question with the proper authorities...**


	12. Demon in the mist

**The Wave Arc is officially into full swing! I guarantee nothing except that most of you will either hate me, be highly disappointed, or just stop reading. I probably deserved it...**

**Disclaimer: You Shall Not Sue! G.B. never had permission for this...**

**G.B.: Some of you wondered if Naruto would be able to recover from being decapitated. In all honesty, I'd have to say no. Although Kyuubi is sealed inside of Naruto's stomach, or sealed in his mind on some kind of astral/spiritual lock due in part to the seal, Dead is Dead, and you only have to be brain dead to be officially dead. On To The Story, Dammit!**

* * *

"Blah" Talking

_'Blah'_ Thinking

**"BLAH!!"** Inner Sakura/Kyuubi speech

**"Blah no Jutsu!!"** Jutsu's being used

* * *

He'd seen ninja die all the time, during the war with Kumo. He'd seen Obito die, and with his death, he had received the last gift that Obito felt he needed. He'd seen the bloodstain on the bridge, too far from Konoha for any real reinforcements to come to his aid, and so Rin had died by herself, when she needed him the most. He'd even seen his sensei, Yondaime Hokage, sacrifice himself to ensnare the demon fox and bury it within the body of Naruto, his only child in this life and the next.

And now...

Her shriek of terror echoed through the woods as she tried to crawl away from his head, severed from his shoulders as his body spasmed uncontrollably, electrical impulses most likely from the heart looking for the command to continue to keep pumping, and unable to get a response.

The sound of the huge Zanbato being ripped free snapped him back toward the enemy, _his_ enemy, and his eye narrowed as his mind worked quickly. "Momochi Zabuza..." Kakashi hissed as he got up carefully, making sure to stay ready for any sudden attack Zabuza made at him.

"I see my reputation precedes me." Zabuza smirked behind the bandages wrapped around his lower face in a makeshift facial mask. Black, spiky short hair shifted as he slung his blade up on his shoulder with one hand as if the blade was made of the lightest materials. Shirtless, his well defined muscles rippled as his body adjusted to the weight while his grey pants with vertical black lines running down them swished with a barely audible sound.

"I know you as well, Copy Nin Kakashi." His left hand flexed as his right tightened on the pommel of his weapon. Sorry bout the Genin. He really should have paid more attention."

"Sasuke! Sakura!" Kakashi's voice barking harsh and abrupt, snapping Sakura attention up to him, though her fear was still palpable. "Protect Tazuna! I'll deal with Zabuza..." He reached up to his headband, shifting it upward as he glared at Zabuza. Locking the man with his mismatched red eye with three black teardrops circling around the coal black iris, Kakashi prepared for the fight of his, and his students, life.

Sasuke looked up at his teacher in shocked disbelief as he easily recognized the eye that had been hidden behind the headband all this time. _'That's the Sharingan! But Kakashi is not of the Uchiha clan, so how...?'_

"So, you think you can fight me?" Zabuza tsked as he jumped backwards toward the lake. Forming a half ram seal in front of him and sheathing his sword to his back, he raised his other hand high above his head in the other half of the ram seal, his eyes closed. **"Kirigakure no Jutsu!"**

Fog and mist rolled in from everywhere, between the trees, from the lake itself, even the clouds seemed to heed Zabuza's summons as all visibility dropped down to nothing within seconds.

Both Sasuke and Sakura began to look around, Sasuke the better of the two. Sakura was still whimpering slightly and her hand shook terribly around the kunai she was holding in her grip. Kakashi stayed put in front of the small team he has left and his contractor, waiting for the attack that was sure to come.

"Well, now, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice seemed to echo from everywhere as the tension in the air built slowly. "I'll give you a choice on how you want to die, in recognition of the skill you possess." The dark chuckle after he spoke sent shivers of Sasuke and Sakura's backs. "You have eight choices. The lungs, the liver, the spine, clavicle, the neck, the kidneys, the brain, or the heart. Whichever one you choose, I promise to make it quick."

As Zabuza named off each spot on the body, his killer intent jumped by degrees until it was nearby unbearable to think straight. Tazuna had already lost control of his body if his pants were any indication, and the Genin weren't doing much better. Sakura had dropped her kunai and was shivering uncontrollably, lost in whatever waking nightmare her mind had created to deal with this hell, and Sasuke was eyeing his own kunai, drawing it ever closer to his throat.

His wrist was grabbed, forcibly snapping Sasuke out of his near suicidal thoughts with Kakashi's eye smile and the whispered words, "I will protect my team with my life.", snapping both Genin out of their terrors.

"Not today, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice muttered in their presence, all three ninja realizing that it was within their circle of protection, and they could barely see the form of Zabuza maintaining the half ram in front of him while one hand held onto the handle of his still sheathed weapon. "Not Even Close!" He shouted as he whipped out his weapon, aiming for Tazuna.

Kakashi ripped the kunai from Sasuke's hand, unable to reach for his own before Zabuza managed to kill Tazuna, and parried the huge blade barely before parrying it up over his head. Taking advantage of his overpowered swing, Kakashi stabbed Zabuza in the neck, aiming for his carotid artery.

His eyes widened as the wetness that splashed against the back of his fingers was cold instead of warm. 'Zabuza' smirked before bursting into water and falling to the ground.

"Mizu Bunshin..." Kakashi cursed and managed to turn his head at the sudden spike of killer intent.

"You lose, Kakashi!" Zabuza crowed as he spun his blade down into the silver haired Jounin's body, cutting through him with one swing. His victorious smile dropped as Kakashi's body burst into the very water he had just used. "That's impressive, you only had a moment to see my Mizu Bunshin fall apart, and managed to make one in that brief moment."

The piece of steel that slid up to his throat from his back made him freeze, as his eyes looked down at the knuckle holding the kunai to his throat. "It's over, Zabuza. Surrender."

Zabuza grinned at Kakashi's demand. "When it's just getting started?" His form blurred before the water holding himself together dropped to the ground in a splash. Kakashi spun in place and whipped his kunai around, ready to block the slash that was sure to be coming at him.

The kick that Zabuza gave him to his gut knocked the wind out of him as the kunai Kakashi held flicked over Zabuza's bent back. He was launched backwards, hopefully into a tree that could arrest his unplanned flight, but fate was conspiring against him as he splashed down into the lake. He pushed with his chakra to make himself float, but only managed to push himself barely to the surface.

Looking down at the water suspiciously, his eyes widen in shock as Zabuza muttered darkly. "I have you now." Finishing his rapid fire handseals, Zabuza placed his hand onto the surface of the water behind Kakashi. **"Suiton! Suirou no Jutsu!"** Water warped around Kakashi, encasing him in a liquid bubble of water that Zabuza lifted up into the air as if the man inside and the water wrapped around his left hand weighed nothing at all.

_'Damn it! I can't move!'_ Kakashi thought to himself as Zabuza glanced up at him before making a half ram seal with his right hand, his sword strapped to his back once again.

"Just sit there and watch as I kill your little team off." Zabuza commented idly as he summoned his chakra, and the lake water responded, forming a copy of himself out of the water surface.

"Sasuke! Sakura! Get Tazuna the hell out of here!" Kakashi shouted, his voice echoing in the watery prison. "His clones can't move far from him, and he can't move while he's holding onto the prison!"

Zabuza chuckled darkly as he glanced up at his prisoner. "That may be true, but even if my clone is only one tenth of my full power, those kids still won't get far enough away from it before it falls apart."

Sasuke had replaced his kunai at this point in time, holding it defensively before him as the water clone of Zabuza came marching forward, pulling its huge blade free as it came forward. There was no chance of them all getting out of there alive, but he wasn't about to run away from this monster. He was an Uchiha, he was an Avenger!

He charged recklessly at the clone, intent on striking it anywhere he could possibly get close to. His quick thrusts were blocked easily, batted away over and over again. His kicks were even more ineffectual as the clone used the massive blade as a modified shield to take the kick and return the force with a simple flick of the overlong weapon. Rapidly shooting through several hand signs, Sasuke jumped back as he finished on Tiger and took a deep breath.

**"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"** With his hand held up before his lips, Sasuke sent a blistering grand fireball at the clone who stood there in place, taking the brunt of the attack and evaporating into nothing.

"Well," Zabuza taunted Kakashi, "at least one of your students has some skill..."

Zabuza made the half ram sign again, creating another three clones, all like him before directing them toward Sasuke. "Now, let's see how good your student really is..."

A splash that sent water over his right leg made Zabuza's head snap to the right. He hadn't sense anyone get that close, and if it had been a weapon, it had been a poorly tossed one. Explosive notes were even worse, if it had sank. They never seemed to work once they had gotten damp. If it wasn't an opponent and it wasn't a weapon, then what...?

The sudden weight of a small body crashing into him from above made him stumble and pull his hand free from the water prison, instantly dropping the jutsu. Teeth dug into his shoulder near his collar bone that pierced deeply into the meat of his shoulder, making him curse. Then the pain really began...

His skin felt like it was being seared by hot metal being applied to his flesh. He couldn't smell his skin being burnt, but it felt all the same, no matter what his nose told him. He reached back and gripped hold of whatever was burning him alive, gripping a handful of pain and tossing it out in front of him, watching as an orange clad, blonde haired boy he thought he had killed went sailing off in front of him, glowing a dim red around his body.

His foot sank below the surface of the water before he could get his chakra under control, and even then, it was hard for him to focus it. Whatever the kid had done to him had screwed up his control, not to mention mess his shoulder up. Wielding Kubikiri Houcho was going to be a pain with only one good arm.

Realizing that Kakashi was still somewhere nearby, he spun around, making the handsigns for his favorite jutsu as he looked eyes on the silver haired Jounin. The man was making handsigns for a jutsu as well, and he hurried to finish up the jutsu he was preparing.

**"Suiton! Suiryudan no Jutsu!"** Both of them called out at the same time and two dragons of water shot upward from the water surface before rushing toward one another, canceling the other out.

_'He used a water dragon jutsu like me?'_ Zabuza thought to himself as he began to run around the lake, Kakashi keeping perfect distance from him as Zabuza planned his next move. _'I've only got enough chakra left for one sure fire attack.'_

Forming the handsigns quickly, he stopped in mid motion as he realized that Kakashi was doing the same handsigns as he was. _'What in the world!?'_

"You're probably wondering how I know what you're going to do next?" Kakashi calmly uttered, unnerving Zabuza at his calm tone, and harsh glare.

Spooked, he wasn't about to lay down and take it from this ninja. "So you can mimic me, big deal."

Kakashi cut in overtop of Zabuza. "It's nothing compared to the real thing, am I right?"

Zabuza's face twitched in annoyance. "Think what you will..." Zabuza began and once again, Kakashi followed along, this time, repeating Zabuza's words the same time as he spoke.

"You're just a monkey!" Zabuza looked shocked this time as he finished speaking, Kakashi remained steadfast where he stood. "How are you doing this, you bastard?!" Zabuza demanded as both of their hands began making jutsu signs once again. His hands faltered as shock and fear began to crawl into his belly, his own image appearing behind Kakashi as if a mirror image of himself.

**"Suiton! Daibakufu no Jutsu!"** Kakashi finished the last handsign, calling his chakra to him and taking hold of the water as it spun int oa whirling mass that rushed at Zabuza like the waterfall the jutsu was named after.

Zabuza couldn't move as his own jutsu he was intending on using was thrust back against him. He would have shunshined away, but the pain in his back and shoulder disrupted his concentration, and he couldn't focus enough before the water blasted him backwards into a tree and pounded against him. Kunai embedded in his shoulders and he moaned out painfully as he looked around for Kakashi, finally finding him in a branch just above him.

"How could you...?" Zabuza asked through the pain his body was feeling, finding it hard to breath after having his chest pounded on.

"This eye can see your future." Kakashi said as the red eye in his scarred socket peered down at the mist nuke nin. "And what it sees is your death."

Hearing the sound of thrown projectiles, Kakashi looked up to watch as senbon needles the length of his middle fingertip to the base of his palm ripped into Zabuza's neck, jerking his head to the side with force before his body fell to the ground in a heap. Jumping down to the ground and inspecting Zabuza's body, a brown kimono clad ninja wearing an unassuming face mask with the symbol for Mist etched into its forehead appeared nearby.

"I should thank you, Leaf ninja." The voice was a middle ground of octave, young enough to hide the gender in a neutral tone. "I have been hunting this one for a year now. The Mizukage will be pleased to hear about this one's death."

Kakashi stood up warily, eyeing the long black hair tied up with a single bun in the back, the rest left to hang to mid back. "You're a hunter nin, I take it."

The hunter nin merely tilted its head down to the body, ignoring the question. "One of the Seven Swordsman. A far way to fall for one who had glory thrust upon them so long ago." Looking back up at Kakashi, the nin spoke directly to him. "If it's not too much trouble, I'm afraid I have to ask you to turn over the body to me."

Kakashi eyed Zabuza's corpse for a good minute before nodding briskly. "I understand. His body doesn't mean anything to me, and I have a job I have to get back to." Kakashi stood back from Zabuza's body as the Oinin walked over to it, picking it up effortlessly over one shoulder before turning to face Kakashi.

"This is most appreciative, Leaf nin. The Mizukage will be pleased." Making a half ram sign, they shunshined away, but not before a parting, "Until next time."

Kakashi stood in his spot, vaguely uneasy about the timing of the Oinin, but shrugged if off for later. He needed to get back to his squad, and to find out what had happened to Naruto.

* * *

Naruto spit water up from where he sat at the lake edge, the water feeling good against his body after that insane idea. **"Insane idea?"** The Kyuubi spat at him. **"If it wasn't for my idea, your team would all be dead right now. Next time, let them die, so we don't have to go back to that hole you call a village."**

_'Your chakra hurts, you stupid fox!'_ Naruto complained in his head, not seeing the shadows that was looming over him.

**"You might wanna look up, gaki."** Kyuubi pointed out, perking Naruto's curiosity, until he looked above him.

The fist that decked him in the cheek had a lot of power behind it, a lot more power than he would have thought Sakura had in her arms. He snapped over hard into the water, stunned, as Sakura huffed with tears in her eyes.

Gripping him by his coat, she pulled him upright to glare into his dazed face before wrapping her arms around him, squeezing the breath out of him. "We thought you were dead, you idiot!" Sakura berated him loudly, tears running down her cheeks. "What's the big idea? You could have been killed for real!"

"I'd like to know that myself." Kakashi crossed his arms in front of himself as he stared down hotly at Naruto, glaring in disapproval. "I can guess that you used that Genjutsu to hide yourself until you jumped Zabuza and broke his concentration, which I might add was extremely reckless. Why didn't you follow my orders?"

Naruto seemed to gather his wits about him in mid conversation and looked seriously up at Kakashi before gently separating himself from Sakura. "I did exactly what you taught me when I was young."

"I didn't teach you to throw yourself recklessly at the enemy. What the hell were you thinking?" Kakashi's killer intent washed over Naruto, anger now laced in his voice.

Naruto didn't even feel the killer intent, scratching at the back of his head weakly. "A ninja who abandons a mission is trash," Naruto began reciting, "but a ninja who abandons his team is worse than trash. Sensei's are a part of the team."

Kakashi glared at Naruto for a bit longer before sighing dramatically, his killer intent snapping off. _'I thought as much'_ Kakashi thought to himself. Reaching over, he patted Naruto's head weakly. "I'm glad you remembered..." Kakashi managed to get out before he fell forward onto Naruto, who barely managed to hold him upright.

"Kakashi sensei?" Sakura asked, immediately beginning to check him for any wounds me hay have had.

Naruto reached up to Kakashi's head and tugged the Hitae-ate back down overtop of the Sharingan eye before turning under Kakashi as best as he could and getting a good grip under him. Making a cross shaped handsign, Naruto summoned two clones to help him carry Kakashi.

"We need to go." Naruto commented, eyeing Sasuke who could only nod before looking at Tazuna, who looked to be shell shocked.

Tazuna seemed to shake himself out after a few seconds of having the kids eyeing him. "My house isn't that far away. Can you carry him that far?" Naruto nodded at him. "Let's hurry, then. I don't wanna see who else we run across out here."

* * *

Laying Zabuza's body down carefully, the Oinin eyed it in detail as their hand traced along the curve of Zabuza's still chest. Trimmed fingernails traces the definition of the body as if examining it in detail as it trailed upward to Zabuza's face. Removing the mask beheld a child of 15 years, feminine features predominantly marking her face as she eyed him. Leaning down, she kissed his cold lips, letting her tongue run across them in hunger before pulling back, sitting petitely next to him.

Finally having indulged herself, she reaches up and carefully removes the three senbon needles from Zabuza's neck. His chest sucked air into it in a panic and his body spasmed before his eyes fluttered open. Looking up at the girl sitting next to him, Zabuza scowled.

"You enjoy sticking me with those damned needles, don't you?" He couldn't feel anything right now, he couldn't even move his fingers, let alone anything else.

"It's the only sure way to making sure I can get away with you, Zabuza-sama." She smiled down at him, knowing that he was currently helpless.

Zabuza grumbled under his breath, looking away from a happily grinning Haku. "You're sadistic with those senbon needles." Haku giggled behind her hand before Zabuza pinned her with a hard look. "Take me back to the hideout, that kid did something to me..."

Haku nodded. "I saw him grab hold of you, but I haven't had time to look at it yet. I will bring you back to full health as fast as I am able, Zabuza-sama."

* * *

They approached a small, two story house made of wood. Tazuna was visibly relaxing at the sight of the building, even with the slight grumbling from the raven haired boy and the frantic glances the pink haired girl gave back over their shoulders. The blonde haired boy and his two clones hadn't so much as complained as they carried the silver haired Jounin on his shoulders.

"We're here." Tazuna sighed pleasantly as he opened the door to the house and stepped inside, kicking off his geta before stepping inside. "Tsunami, are you home?"

The sound of something moving in the back of the building had Sakura looking past the old man, passed the modest dining room and it's wooden table to the kitchen in the back. A middle aged woman with long brown hair had turned around from stirring something in a pot on the stove. Her pink shirt and ankle length blue skirt made her look every bit the homemaker.

"Father?" Tsunami asked hesitantly as she saw the kids behind Tazuna before she rushed through the dining room and into her father's arms. "Oh, thank goodness, you're home!"

"I told you I would come back." He patted his daughter's back as she held onto him, getting comfort from her parent.

"I didn't doubt it." Tsunami sniffled with a smile, rubbing at the corner of one eye with the back of her finger. "You never do anything half way..." She looked to the kids, only now noticing the blonde holding up the unconscious silver haired man with the face mask and headband with stylized leaf.

"Tsunami, please take Naruto upstairs and show him a room, we had some trouble getting here and Kakashi needs his rest." Tazuna moved out of the way as he headed to the kitchen, allowing everyone into the house.

"Please, follow me." Tsunami beckoned Naruto as his clones led the way, holding up Kakashi's back with their shoulders, Kakashi's arms draped around their neck while he held the Jounin's feet up in the air.

Tsunami led them to the nearest room, opening the door and walking in first as she headed over to the closet and pulled out the bedroll. Naruto and his clones waited patiently for her to finish setting the bed up before placing Kakashi carefully down on it and dismissing his clones with a sharp rap to the backs of their heads. Sakura was right behind Naruto with Sasuke walking in behind them and taking up a waiting position on the inside of the door frame.

"I'll go get the medical kit." Tsunami spoke aloud, though it didn't appear as if anyone listened to her as Naruto took a seat next to Kakashi on the man's left while Sakura took a position on the right. She closed the door behind her as she left.

Waiting until the sound of her feet disappeared down the stairs, Kakashi wearily opened his eye and peered at his team. Sakura looked shaken up, badly. She had thought she had watched her teammate get killed in front of her, then her sensei came back and collapsed bonelessly into Naruto, not good for the girl's already fragile mindset. Sasuke looked disgruntled, most likely berating himself for doing so poorly against Zabuza. He'd have to do something about that when he had more energy.

When his eyes turned toward Naruto, he felt like sighing. Naruto had returned to his standard defense when emotions were called for, he was hiding his behind that squinty eyed mask he constantly wore. Something was going to have to be done about Naruto's detachment, but he didn't see what he could do about that. He and Yamato had been trying for years already and nothing seemed to work.

"Good work." Kakashi murmured weakly, Sakura sitting up a bit straighter and Sasuke smiled slightly from where he stood, but Naruto refused to move, or even show that he was accepting what he had been told. "We all managed to survive our encounter with A Class criminal Momochi Zabuza. Thankfully, we won't have to be dealing with him again."

Sakura shivered where she sat at, slumping in relief. "Thank goodness." She whimpered, feeling the need to continue where she had left off back at the lake.

"Is the mission over then?" Sasuke asked. If there was no one left to fight, there really wasn't any need for them to stay around.

Kakashi did sigh, feeling the need to sleep rushing up on him. "Unfortunately not. Someone had to hire Zabuza, which means that there may be other people to fight when they find out the Zabuza is dead." Sasuke smirked where he was standing, anticipating the next fight and proving that the first was a fluke. "Once I get some of my strength back, we'll begin training. Be prepared for a hard morning."

The door reopened, admitting Tsunami into the room. "I brought the medical kit." She said as Sakura stood up and moved out of the way.

"If you could, please give it to Naruto." Kakashi eye smiled from where he lay to the woman before looking up at his blonde teammate.

Tsunami looked confused at the Jounin on the bed before handing the medical kit over to the blonde kid, his gaze unsettling. Bowing to all of them and thanking them once again, she took her leave from the room.

"Here, Naruto, I'll bandage up Kakashi." Sakura reached for the medical kit.

"Actually, I need you to step outside, Sakura." Kakashi eye smiled to her. "Gotta consider the age of my students when showing off a bare body." Sakura blushed brightly before nodding and getting up from where she knelt, heading for the door. Sasuke, not seeing a reason to stay around, followed her out.

Kakashi opened his eye with a serious stare as he looked to Naruto. Once the door was closed, Naruto was up and locking it before coming back to Kakashi's side. "What happened?" Naruto asked, seeing the serious gaze he was getting from his teacher.

"We're in a lot of trouble." Kakashi muttered. "I knew something was wrong with the Oinin, I should have noticed sooner." Naruto continued to wait for his teacher to explain. "Oinin are hidden black ops ninja, headhunters. They track down a target to the ends of the earth until they can bring back the head of their target. They're supposed to destroy the body immediately, not move it."

Naruto continued to wait in silence as Kakashi cursed his battle fatigue. "I got a feeling that we haven't seen the last of Zabuza."

Naruto frowned. This wasn't good news at all. It Kakashi didn't recover before Zabuza struck, they were dead. "How long?" Naruto asked.

"It's hard to say." Kakashi murmured, sleep clawing at him. "I used too much chakra up. I'll be down for at least a week, maybe longer." Kakashi eyed Naruto critically. "You'll have to watch out for your team and Tazuna."

Naruto's frown turned into a scowl.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I know you don't want to, but this time I am ordering you, just this once." Kakashi saw the wince, but couldn't hesitate. This was too important. "I am ordering you to kill anyone that threatens the mission, or your team."

* * *

Sakura sat waiting in the dining room for something to happen. Her nerves had been torn up during that horrendous fight with Kakashi and Zabuza, but it had truly been destroyed when she looked down at what she had thought was Naruto's head. She wasn't going to leave this house without some kind of explanation from Naruto as to what happened.

"I hope you're all hungry." Tsunami called from the kitchen as she filled several bowls full of soup. It's not much, but it'll warm you up in a pinch."

"I'm sure whatever you cook will be wonderful, Tsunami." Tazuna called happily from upstairs before descending, his backpack left somewhere upstairs. He moved himself over to the head of the table before taking his seat, and waiting for his daughter to come by and hand him his bowl. He kissed her cheek lightly, earning him a smile before she headed back for her other guests.

"I won't actually be starting work on the bridge for at least a day or two, so we can rest here until then." Tazuna announced to the two ninja sitting at his table, looking seriously at them.

"Just be aware that wherever you go, one of us will be going with you." Sasuke answered Tazuna, making sure to get the old man's confirmation before he received his own bowl of food.

Naruto came down a few minutes later, taking a seat on a small sofa against the wall near the entrance, ignoring the people eating at the table. Sakura's eyebrow twitched at his lack of acknowledgement and at scaring her to death with his supposed demise, but refused to say anything about it at the table.

Soon to join them from upstairs was a little boy roughly the age of eight. Dull brown hair framed a morose face held up by a dingy yellow shirt. His dark brown eyes looked almost black as he sat down in front of one of the bowls on the table and began eating without introducing himself to the guests in the room.

"Well, Inari, I see you're still as perky as ever." Tazuna spoke to the child with a smile, trying to raise the kids spirits.

"Welcome home, grandpa." The kid muttered sadly before feeding himself a mouthful of soup.

Tazuna winced at the child's depression. Tsunami decided to help her father out. "Inari, these are some of the ninja who came with your grandfather to help protect him as he finishes his bridge. Isn't that wonderful?"

The small boy looked sadly up at his grandfather. "Why did you hire them? They're just going to die now..."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched as a vein started to stand out on her forehead. Sasuke glared hotly at the bot sitting next to him, a little of his killer intent leaking out.

"Never mind, I'm not that hungry." Inari wiped his mouth with his sleeve before getting out of his chair and walking back up the stairwell, the sound of his door closing echoing back down into the dining room below.

"I'm so sorry about that." Tsunami smiled weakly at Sakura and Sasuke. "He's normally such a sweet boy."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all." Sakura commented, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Naruto stood up, heading back for the door outside. He stopped long enough to slide his ninja sandals back on before reaching for the door handle.

"Naruto, where do you think you're going?" Sakura challenged him, hostility coating each syllable.

"Guard duty." Naruto turned the handle on the door, but was quickly turned around and pushed into the door by the angry pinkette.

"I want some answers first, and you're going to give them to me." Sakura pinned him with a hard green eyed stare. "What in the hell was the deal with that Genjutsu? What was that Genjutsu? When did you learn it?"

Naruto's mask remained firmly fixed in place as Sakura continued to stare him down. "It's not important." he tried to move again, but Sakura wasn't letting him go.

"**Like Hell, it's not important!**" Inner Sakura shouted in outrage. "We're your teammates! We're supposed to know each other so we can help each other out!"

**"Just gut her and get it over with. It'll be way more merciful than if an enemy nin gets a hold of her."** Kyuubi yawned in the back of his head, and Naruto had the distinct feeling that it was licking it's muzzle.

Batting her hand from his shoulder, Naruto turned to the door and opened it before slipping outside. Sakura opened the door to yell at him, but fell silent as Naruto had disappeared.

* * *

_'This is bad.'_ Haku thought to herself as she examined Zabuza's back. Chakra burns were all over the place, his shin was blistering badly from where the boy had been touching him bodily, as if the chakra had heated the air, and the boy as well. _'His wounds are severe, even if they look superficial. Fortunately, my pressure point strike to his neck will prevent him from feeling any of the pain, but his chakra control will be shot for at least a month.'_

"I heard that you had some trouble taking down the target." An oily voice sneered from the entrance of the room, Haku's hair wanting to stand on end at the implied tone. "I never thought that one of the shinobigatana nananin-shu would have problems dealing with an old man, of all people."

A short man had come in, dressed in a tan business suit, his hair was spiked upwards in back, framing his bald head, though the mouse like face and moustache made him all the more distasteful to look at. The small smoked glassed balanced on his nose covered his beady eyes, adding to the mouse like look, and the cane he carried wasn't for any problem with his legs.

She wanted to curse herself for not sending someone entering the room, especially Gatou.

"Now you're laid up in bed for the better part of a week." Gatou tisked as he walked over toward the resting Zabuza, two hired thugs with samurai swords framing him, their dirty yukata's hanging from their lanky frame.

Haku kept her mask on, giving away nothing as the old man approached her master.

"I'm half tempted to take my money and leave you to rot," Gatou sneered, a greasy smile plastered on his face, "but I'll make you an offer instead." He eyed Haku up and down, leering at the kimono clad girl in hiding.

Haku stiffened in outrage. This perverse little man was eyeing her as if she was some object! She'd kill him if she was given the chance. But if Zabuza commanded...

Zabuza continued to lay on the bed, covered up to his chest, his facial bandages still wrapped snugly on his face to hide his identity. Eyes closed, Zabuza was asleep to the world, and to Gatou's innuendos.

scowling, Gatou reached for Zabuza, only to have Haku grab hold of his wrist in a tight grip and snap it cleanly. Gatou yelled out in pain, trying to wrnech his arm from the girl's grip. "You will not touch Zabuza-sama with your filthy hands, merchant." Haku hissed, eyes narrowed in hatred at the thing dressed as a man.

The samurai reached for their blades, only for Gatou to be tossed into them, preventing them from drawing their weapons as they struggled to get out from underneath their employer.

"Get out..." Haku uttered, daring them to draw their weapons as she held several handfuls of senbon in her fingers. She only needed one for each of them, but it seemed to scare people more when you brought quantity over quality.

Gatou stood carefully, holding his broken arm in his hand as he glared hotly at Haku. "Tell your master that he has one last chance to succeed, or I will turn you over to the Oinin of the Mist village for the money reward they have on your heads!" Gatou pushed roughly between the two samurai that looked like they were going to draw their weapons anyways, but abruptly turned and left with their owner.

"I could have handled them myself." Zabuza growled from the bed, his hand coming out holding an oversized kunai that was more a sword than a throwing object.

"It is my place to watch over you as you recover." Haku took a submissive stance next to Zabuza's bed, hands crossed in front of her and head down as she stood nearby to him.

"I'll tell you what is your place. You are to follow my orders." Zabuza growled as his hand slipped from the handle of the weapon, still too weak to wield it.

"Of course, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied quietly, hiding her sadness as well as she could.

"How long?" Zabuza yawned as he laid there, still feeling the after effects of sleep as he tried to shrug it off.

"Two weeks, maybe longer." Haku pronounced, wincing as Zabuza's angry gaze latched onto her.

"It had better be less than two weeks..." Zabuza ordered, letting his killer intent wash over Haku, smothering her in it.

"But Zabuza-sama..." Haku had felt this before, but never pointed at her. "Even if I were to gather herbs non stop for the next two weeks, The chakra burns..."

"I will be able to move in one week." Zabuza had been on the receiving end of Haku's attack before, and knew first hand. "Make me as ready as you can in that time. I don't care if you have to go out and stay out all night looking for herbs, Do It!"

Haku reflexively twitched toward the door at Zabuza's order before bowing to him and heading for the exit to the room. He watched her go before staring at the ceiling in anger. Kakashi wouldn't get away from him next time, and that blonde brat of his would pay for humiliating him. "No one humiliates Momochi Zabuza and lives..."

* * *

Naruto hunted, for the first time ever. He hadn't caught anything yet, but he was hunting.

He was getting hungry...

**"Can't you catch anything to eat?"** Kyuubi was disgusted with him. His container had been out here for an hour now, having avoided the dinner made like the plague. Naruto had bad instances where strangers had served him food, and he'd wanted to die afterwards when his stomach started to grip in terrible pains.

**"That's it."** Kyuubi groused. **"It's a proven fact. My container is a retard..."**

_"Who the hell are you calling a retard?"_ Naruto shouted angrily back at the Kyuubi, having put up with more stuff today than was absolutely necessary.

**"You can't catch a single thing to eat!"** Kyuubi roared back at him, making Naruto's landing ungainly as he stopped his hunt in the trees.

_"I told you I've never hunted in the wild for food before!"_ Naruto was putting up with anything anymore. If the Kyuubi was going to yell at him, then screw hunting!

**"Look below you."** Kyuubi deadpanned.

Naruto looked down below him at the water fowl at the edge of a small patch of water. They were slowly bobbing up and down as the wind rippled the surface lightly, ruffling one duck until it shook itself and settled back in to sleep.

Naruto sweatdropped.

**"We passed plenty of food like that over and over again."** Kyuubi hissed angrily. **"Was your stealth training really that bad?"**

Naruto wanted to sigh, but refused to. He had been trained to hide from the enemy, and he practiced it daily in the confines of Konoha to the point where he could hide his presence amongst others and no one would notice him unless they were deliberately looking for him. Hunting someone, or in this case something, had never been a consideration.

**"Now, when you kill something, you take the pointy end of the kunai and..."** Kyuubi sneered as he talked.

_"I know how to kill something!"_ Naruto had a kunai out and was taking aim when the ducks, spooked by something nearby, burst from the water and flew away. Naruto's stomach grumbled in displeasure.

**"That was your fault."** Kyuubi pointed out, as if Naruto had missed the fact that he did it.

Shouting in displeasure, Naruto flung his kunai in a downward direction, only to hear a high pitched cry in fear. Jumping down in the direction of his weapon, Naruto landed in front of a girl clad in a pink kimono, long black hair shining in the night. His kunai had embedded in her basket, nearly hitting her hand as she placed the herbs into it.

**"That's your fault, too."** Kyuubi snickered, enjoying the look of fear in the girl's face.

"I'm so sorry." Naruto said as he reached into the basket and wrenched out the weapon buried into the bottom. Looking sheepishly at the still shocked girl, he realized that her herbs were still laying around on the ground as she continued to stare at him in shock. "Here, let me help you gather those up..."

"No!" The girl blurted out before blushing as she started to gather up all the herbs that had spilled out. "I can do it by myself!"

**"She's scared of you."** Kyuubi purred as the muzzle licking was felt in the back of his head again. **"Take a deep breath, kit. Remember this smell..."**

He inhaled without thinking. There was the acidic tang of fear in the air, edgy and erratic. It made his hair stand on end, even more so than it's normally spiky quality, but there was something else in there. Lilac was in the air, a subtle smell like that of a flower, almost hidden under the fear smell she was giving off.

HIs stomach growled hungrily in complaint, and she stopped what she was doing as she looked up at him a second time.

_"Man, what a time for my stomach to complain..."_ Naruto thought to himself.

**"You suck as a hunter."** Kyuubi snorted. **"Go back to being...oh, wait, you're not really good at being a ninja either, are you?"**

"Are...are you hungry?" The girl asked in front of him.

Naruto winced. He didn't know this girl, what the hell was he still doing here in front of her? He should have apologized and left. The End, nothing else to see, move along folks. "Ah...yeah..." Naruto scratched at the back of his head weakly.

She stared at him for a moment, neither of them moving. Time seemed to pass slowly, or stop at the innocence of both of them, but Naruto's stomach broke the silence as it complained loudly once again.

"Maybe...you should go home...and eat..." The girl suggested hesitantly, not sure what to make of the boy in front of her.

**"You could always eat her."** Kyuubi offered. Naruto paled, and the girl shifted nervously as his pallor shifted. **"They scream a bit, but they taste just fine if you can suppress your gag reflex."**

"I think..." Naruto swallowed weakly, his hand trembling. "I need to go." Naruto jumped up and away, moving quickly from the girl as he headed back to Tazuna's house.

**"You don't know what you're missing."**

* * *

The Hokage worked at the ever insurmountable enemy that was paperwork. Aided by bureaucracy, he wondered which he'd have to kill to get rid of the paperwork. He processed paperwork day in and day out, where was the real benefit to this job he had thought would be the Hokage? Shaking his head at such foolish thoughts, he put away his childhood and continued plowing away at his 'retirement'.

"I have returned, Hokage-sama." Anko answered as she entered into his office, mission scroll in hand. She didn't looked thrilled, but the blood spatter on her coat didn't look like it had come from her.

"Must you walk around wearing your 'kills', Anko?" Sarutobi sighed as she finished reading over another paper about weapons being low in the shops, and asking for permission to start looking outside their usual sources for materials.

Anko blinked before looking at her coat. Pulling one side in front of her, then doing the same to the other side, she giggled weakly as she scratched at the back of her head. "Sorry, Hokage-sama, I didn't really notice."

The Hokage sighed before nodding, motioning for Anko to come closer. Taking her scroll from her, he opened it up and read over the orders briefly before rolling it till just the first few inches were still unrolled. "Successful mission, Anko?" he asked, but it was a moot point. The mission had been an assassination, and Anko was one of the better ones. That, and her coat had a new color scheme most likely from her target.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Anko answered, no real energy behind it. She'd been like this since Naruto left, and he was beginning to wonder if Anko wasn't starting to get fixated on the boy.

"Hokage-sama!" Two ANBU materialized out of the air around Anko, who merely glanced at them before ignoring them. Both ANBU knelt on the ground immediately, waiting for their leader to acknowledge them.

"I was in the middle of a debriefing." Sarutobi sighed, feeling a migraine starting.

"Scouting report from the west, Hokage-sama! We found the bodies of two Kiri ninja left in the street tied up in ninja wire, their heads were not removed!" The left ANBU, his mask that of a bird, reported urgently.

Anko stiffened, staring at the bird masked ninja.

"How long have they been dead?" Hokage demanded. If someone had snuck into Konoha's territory and dropped corpses on them, it could start problems with an already unstable Mist Country.

"Three Days, Hokage-sama!" The rat masked ANBU spoke, sounding a little like a girl. The armor the ninja wore obscured the gender too well to be sure. "They were laying in the path heading for Wave Country!"

Anko was headed out the door before the Nezumi masked ninja had finished. Cursing to himself, Sarutobi waved to the ANBU. "Find and subdue Mitarashi Anko, do not harm her, but prevent her from leaving Konoha at all costs. Send for Uzuki Yuugao to my office as soon as possible. If I find out that Anko was harmed in any way, that ninja is considered to be an enemy of Konoha and killed on sight."

"Hai!" Both ANBU announced before disappearing once again into nothingness, their speed making them simply disappear to the naked eye.

Pinching the bridge of his nose as the migraine began to tap dance across the backs of his eyes, Sarutobi began to curse his position for the first time in years.

* * *

He had returned at some point during the night, she hadn't been up, no one had. The house apparently was unlocked for him so that he could come in and head to his room, too bad he hadn't been there when Sasuke had been shown their room.

Sakura had come down to the kitchen to get the stove started for something hot to eat during the cold morning. The wet air that hung everywhere brought an uncomfortable chill with it, something that she had never woken up to before. Course, she never got up this early before, but she slept in Tsunami's room, and her training had set off her senses, so it was going to be impossible for her to sleep.

She noticed Naruto when she came down the stairs, laying on the small couch he had been sitting on earlier before. Still upset at him for last nights argument, on top of scaring the hell out of her, she wasn't going to let him sleep any longer than necessary.

She snuck over to him quietly, watching him the entire time as she approached him. She had watched him while Ino had befriended him, seen how he failed at everything he did. She had seen him after tests and jutsu practice, watching him come up short day in and day out of the academy. Even his taijutsu was worse than hers, and she barely had the minimum academy skills under her. Naruto's skills at detection should be as pathetic as his being a ninja.

She moved ever so carefully up to him, balling her fist, but making sure it was a soft fist, otherwise her joints might pop and who knows if he'd noticed that or not. Standing above him, she stared down into his sleeping visage, irritation itching all over her. She was going to make this shot count, and make sure he didn't forget it anytime soon.

Her fist snapped down at his face, a smile starting to form even as Naruto's hand caught hers and held it in place. Confusion set in, her smile freezing in a sickly fashion as her hand was held away from his face, at least a good foot above his face.

**"What the hell?"** Inner Sakura complained as Naruto's eyes snapped open, making her try to jerk away from them.

He released her hand as she stepped back before he sat up weakly, rubbing at the back of his head. He yawned, tired from running around all last night, his stomach again complaining that it was hollow. He never did get to eat last night. Looking up at Sakura, who had stepped away in fear of him, he blinked at her.

"Something on my face?" Naruto asked, pointing to himself.

Sakura had seen something in his eyes, something that had made the fear she had felt during that fight come back ten times stronger. She wasn't sure what it had been, but something had stopped her cold and told her to run away, or she would die. Looking at him now, there wasn't that fear anymore, but his eyes weren't the same. Something had changed in them...

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, waving his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of whatever thoughts she was having at the time being.

Stifling an eep, Sakura weakly giggled. "Hey there, Naruto. How was guard duty?"

Naruto shook his head as his clones started to dissipate, their chakra finally running out. "None of my clones were killed, so no one came close last night. I'm fairly sure we're still ok."

Sakura looked flabbergasted at Naruto. "You left clones of yourself outside all night?" Naruto nodded weakly as he said good morning to Tsunami, who had come from upstairs into the kitchen. "How many clones?"

Naruto blinked before counting on his fingers, adding mentally. Sakura sweatdropped as he continued to mumble as the minutes started to pass by.

"Naruto," Sakura interrupted his count, "You do know it's physically impossible for you to maintain clones while asleep, don't you?"

Naruto blinked at her. "It is?"

She wanted to smack him for being an idiot. "Of course, it is! A clone can't be maintained by an unconscious mind! It's like trying to get sunlight out of the moon! You can't do it!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Tsunami interrupted, getting both Sakura and Naruto's attention, "breakfast will be ready shortly."

"Thank you very much, Tsunami-san." Sakura said, bowing graciously to their host, totally forgetting about helping Tsunami as she felt the need to argue with Naruto some more.

"Ano..." Naruto started, before looking sheepish at Tsunami, "do you have anything instant?"

Sakura's jaw dropped as she stared at Naruto. Does his rudeness know no end?

The sound of crutches hitting the steps echoed as someone hobbled their way down the stairs, Kakashi coming into sight followed by Sasuke, who looked a little sleep deprived. Glaring at Naruto, the raven haired boy took a seat at the table and promptly ignored his blonde teammate.

"No problems last night, Naruto?" Kakashi spoke weakly, getting some help from Sakura as she pulled a chair back for their weak sensei.

Naruto nodded, still standing over by the small couch.

"That's good then." Kakashi sighed as he settled into the chair, removing the crutches from under him as he tried to keep himself upright while in the chair. "Practice should be a quiet affair today then."

"Practice?" Sakura spoke, confused. "Aren't we still on a mission? Wouldn't practice wear us out and make it harder for us to complete our goals?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "This would be normally true, but there's a complication to be addressed." Naruto watched as Tsunami cooked breakfast, waiting for something instant to be made. "I believe that we haven't seen the last of Zabuza. I think he had a subordinate helping him, and escaped with his body, resuscitating him."

Sasuke perked up at this. It meant that there was a chance that he could fight, and probably soon. It wouldn't be some trash thug, but a real ninja, something he could test himself against. "When do you think they'll attack?" Sasuke couldn't help but sound eager to fight.

Kakashi shook his head. "Not for awhile. Being resuscitated takes it out of a person. A week, maybe two, if we're lucky." Sakura looked unsure of herself yet again, glancing over at Sasuke, who was looking very eager to fight. Naruto continued to stare at Tsunami as she began to server breakfast. He noticed that Naruto seemed to look depressed as Tsunami finished laying out all the bowls of the warmed up soup.

"I'm sorry it's leftovers, but Wave Country is in a food shortage, so we have to make everything last." Tsunami explained as she served everyone, pulling back a chair for Naruto and smiling to him.

Kakashi understood the problem. "Tsunami-san, do you have any dried rations, maybe some jerky?"

Tsunami looked surprised for a moment before smiling at Kakashi. They were probably planning on eating lunch at their practice, and wouldn't be coming back for a meal. "Of course, let me make you up a quick lunch."

"It's not for us." Kakashi shook his head, before looking at his blonde teammate. "It's for Naruto."

Tsunami looked hurt now, and Sakura wasn't about to let this nice lady be offended over her teammates callousness. "Naruto! Eat Tsunami's food and appreciate your good fortune!"

"He won't, Sakura." Kakashi answered, shaking his head. "Naruto has trust issues, and won't eat anything that's not already prepared, or something he made himself."

Sakura looked disbelieving at her sensei. "Trust issues over food? How does someone not trust food?"

Before Tsunami walked off, Naruto walked over to her and bowed in front of her before sitting down at his place at the table. Lifting the spoon in his hand, he stared at the soup in front of him as if it was going to try and kill him at any moment. Dipping his spoon into the soup, he moved it to his mouth as fast as he could, losing half of the spoon's contents before repeating. He didn't slow down until his soup was almost gone, even under the verbal reprimand of Sakura to do so.

Standing up, he bowed to Tsunami once more before turning to Kakashi. "I'll be waiting outside." Naruto muttered, heading to the door and placing his sandals on his feet before leaving.

"Sakura." Kakashi sighed weakly, getting the pinkette's attention. "Please don't force Naruto to do something like that again."

"What did I do?" She demanded, raising her hands in the air. "It's not like it was poisoned or anything."

Kakashi gave her a critical look that silenced her. "One of these days, maybe Naruto will explain it to you." Sighing, he pushed his empty bowl back, no one remembering if Kakashi had eaten his soup, or had somehow made it disappear with a ninja art. "Finish your food and join us outside. It's going to be a long day for all of you."

* * *

**Yes, he encountered Haku before he was supposed to. Yes, I planned it that way. Yes, Haku is definitely a bit more amourous toward Zabuza than is normal, also planned. Magikarp is telling me to leave now...**


	13. Wave Training

**It's a Christmas Miracle! Well, it's not exactly x-mas just yet, but you get the message.**

**Disclaimer: I hate the owner of Naruto, because I could have been rich.**

**Now for the bad news. I don't know how long it will take to update between chapters. I was planning on getting a job off the ground, but that seems to be having its hiccups. In any event, I will post as often as I can, but there will not be another chapter for this year. Try back in 2009 or something.**

**

* * *

**

"Blah" - Normal Speech

_'Blah'_ - Thoughts

**"Blah"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura speech

**"Kage Blah no Jutsu!!!"** - Jutsu being used

**

* * *

  
**

"Tree climbing?" Sasuke's doubt filled voice, quickly followed by a hard scoff and a disappointed scowl didn't affect Kakashi in the slightest.

"How is climbing trees going to help us, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, a finger to her lips as she peered up at the tree in front of her, as if never seeing one before.

Kakashi wanted to sigh, he wanted to wince in pain, but most of all, he wished the academy had taught their students better. "You're not going to be climbing the trees with your hands. You're going to be climbing them with your feet." He pointed down carefully at his own feet around the crutches under his arms, making sure not to unbalance himself.

Naruto frowned as he eyed his tree, staring at it like it was his own worst enemy.

"And how, exactly, are we supposed to do that?" Sasuke heaped more doubt on top of doubt. Climbing trees with their feet? Maybe Naruto could, he looked like a blond monkey to him...

"Like this." Kakashi spoke as he formed a ram seal, channeling the dregs of his Chakra through his wincing system before placing one foot carefully onto the tree, then hobbling himself upward, crutches and all, up the tree and to the nearest branch. Standing upside down at staring at his students with an I-told-you-so look, Sakura idly thought to herself that Kakashi must stand on his ceiling when drying his hair for it to stand up like that all the time.

"Focus your Chakra into the bottom of your feet and balance it there." Kakashi explained for the slower ones, i.e. his team. "Too little, and you slide right off. Too much, and you get forced away from the tree instead of gripping it. This will help you get greater Chakra control and allow you to waste less Chakra when fighting."

"Kakashi sensei." Naruto called, and Kakashi nodded to him.

"Let me get them started first, then I'll find you some place to work on your own." Kakashi waved lightly in Naruto's direction, catching the outraged look on Sasuke's face, and the indignation on Sakura's.

"Why does Naruto baka get special training?" Sakura asked, her inner persona railing inside of her.

"Naruto's Chakra control is bad." Kakashi stated matter of factly, and Naruto didn't look like he took it as it sounded. "Remember all those clones I had him make during training before releasing him?" Sakura nodded as she eyed Naruto suspiciously. "Each clone is like making 20 regular clones. They're solid, but they destabilize with a single strike to them."

Sakura did the math in her head, then shook her head and started again. After the third time adding up the Chakra output from all those clones made into the simple ones, she shouted, "That's Impossible! No one's got that much Chakra!" She pointed at Naruto as if making a point, or accusing him of something.

Kakashi sighed before looking over at Naruto. "Go ahead and show them, Naruto."

Naruto frowned before nodding. Walking over to the nearest tree, he made the ram sign before he lifted his leg and pushed Chakra to his foot. Placing his foot to the tree trunk, wood shrapneled everywhere as the trunk underneath Naruto's foot exploded, and Naruto had to hop out of the way as the tree protested loudly before falling over to the ground.

Sakura's jaw was on the ground, her eyes large and pupil less in shock. Sasuke was growling murderously at the destruction.

"That's why he needs to work on his own." Kakashi said, waving a dismissive hand over toward the toppled tree. "His Chakra control is non existent. Added to the..." Kakashi hesitated briefly before continuing, "I guess you could call it a Chakra bloodline, though it's not really a bloodline, Naruto's power output is way too high for a Genin, hence why he can't do simple academy jutsus. He simply can't channel a little Chakra, seeing as his 'little' is like a river."

"That's insane!" Sakura pointed to Naruto, then the tree, then to Naruto and repeated. "Shouldn't he blow up from all that Chakra?"

"Nee, Kakashi sensei..." Naruto didn't want to deal with this, it's not like his team would understand.

Kakashi nodded. "Anyways, let's get them started first before I take you practicing, Naruto." Sakura was about to protest again, but the snort from Sasuke seemed to switch her from incredulous to uncaring. If Sasuke didn't care, then she shouldn't either. "Alright, you got the example. Start climbing."

Sasuke formed the ram sign heading over to the closest tree. He was about to climb it when Kakashi's voice halted him. "Both of you better get a running start. You'll find that you'll need it."

Sasuke scowled at his sensei before getting a few steps back and forming the ram seal at a run. He started up the tree and made it a few steps before his foot caused a dent in the tree trunk that threw his pace off. He pushed off, back flipping in a control manner, tucking into a ball till he nearly the ground, where he landed without any problems. Looking up at the tree, he scowled. He had only made it at least ten feet before he had to stop.

"Sasuke-kun! Look up here!" Sakura's voice called from above, drawing all eyes to her. Standing near the top of the tree, waving her hands over top of her head as she signaled down to her teammates, Sakura smiled brightly at her accomplishment.

"Guess we know who the real genius is here, don't we?" Kakashi muttered out loud, making Sasuke gnash his teeth in anger. Taking a kunai in hand while Sakura made her way down the tree, he flipped it down in front of Sasuke. "Use that to mark your progress as you climb. Try to make it to the top of the tree." As Sakura landed happily in front of Kakashi, he reached up carefully and removed his vest. "Here, put this on."

Sakura's eyes bulged as Kakashi handed her his Jounin vest. Did he favor her more than Naruto and Sasuke? True, she hadn't been a whole lot of use since leaving the village, but she was the only one to complete this training exercise. Maybe things were beginning to look up for her...

"Wear this, then do the tree climbing exercise again." Kakashi ordered as she slid the vest onto her shoulders. Looking at him weird, Kakashi explained. "Chakra levels are determined by mental balance with physical balance. Right now, your mind is powerful, but your body is weak. You have excellent control of the Chakra you have, but because of the imbalance, it's smaller than both Sasuke and Naruto. Doing the exercise with my vest on will add weight, not a whole lot, but enough that you'll feel it when you start getting tired. Both of you should keep training till you come close to Chakra exhaustion. I'll be back as soon as I start Naruto."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as the ninjas of Konoha finally called it a day. Kakashi led Sakura and Sasuke into the house, sitting down at the table as Tsunami finished up her cooking. Sakura looked pale and near to fainting while Sasuke looked as if he still had a bone to grind with a tree. Kakashi eye smiled from where he sat, having napped while his students had worked. He really needed the rest if his coils were going to recover from the exertion from the Sharingan, his body really wasn't made for it.

Tazuna sat at the head of the table, going over the measurements one more time on the specifics for the bridge while Tsunami brought in the plates of food, consisting of some wild vegetables and a little meat.

"I'm sorry there isn't more." Tsunami apologized as she brought the spread to them.

"I'm sure that it will still be filling." Kakashi eye smiled as he tried to sit up straighter. They didn't have much, and to help keep their spirits up, sometimes it was better to fib.

Tsunami smiled, maybe seeing the fib for what it was, but not saying anything about it as she finished laying out the plates for those at the table. Inari came down after being called and sat at the table, leaving the one space still empty as Naruto had not returned. Sakura stared at the empty plate nearby her before looking up at her sensei.

"When is Naruto going to return?" She asked, curious as to if her teammate was still training.

"Maybe he ran away..." Inari muttered, though not nearly as quiet as it should have been.

"He may not come home at all until he gets hungry." Kakashi said as he sat in front of his plate, the food still sitting on it. "That might be a day or two."

Sakura stared at her sensei. "Did you say he might not come back till he needs to eat?"

Kakashi eye smiled, not speaking or making any motion that he had said what he just said.

"If it's any indication from training this morning, he's going to need all the help he can get." Sasuke muttered before taking a bite of the food before him.

"I hope he'll be alright." Tsunami spoke, worried. "Gatou's men can be anywhere at any time, even out in the woods, hunting."

"He's most likely dead already..." Inari muttered darkly, now playing with his food. Kakashi ignored the kid, though Sakura glanced at him. Tsunami had an upset look, and Tazuna wasn't paying any attention, much like Sasuke wasn't.

"Naruto's good at hiding when he needs to. Konoha taught him how to do that very well." Kakashi didn't exactly sound proud when referring to his village about that.

"Kakashi sensei, what is up with Naruto?" Sakura asked, laying her chopsticks down next to her plate. "He never showed any skills with Genjustu before, and taking that missing Nin by surprise like that? Exactly what have you been teaching him when we're not around?"

Kakashi eye smiled to Sakura as Sasuke shifted in his seat, listening in without being obvious about it."Before Team 7, I was an ANBU leader. One of my missions was to watch out for trouble, and Naruto was a part of that."

Sakura nodded before she considered that. "Wait, was Naruto really that much trouble to deal with to occupy an ANBU team leader?"

Kakashi continued to eye smile at Sakura. "It was the trouble we used to find Naruto in. Some of it was pretty bad. I took him in for a few weeks and with the assistance of a ninja friend of mine, we taught him to hide and evade from people who really shouldn't find you."

"Come to think of it..." Sakura was remembering this morning, where she had tried to punish Naruto and instead got the hell scared out of her. "Naruto's eyes were weird this morning."

Kakashi's eye smile almost slipped. "You don't say?" He had to concentrate to keep his voice from slipping.

She didn't want to say that he spooked the living hell out of her, she'd never live it down. It would probably look bad in front of Sasuke as well. "I'm not sure, I just got the impression that he was looking at me like he wanted to kill me or something. It was awfully early. Maybe he's not a morning person?"

* * *

Haku moved through the early morning forest as quietly as she could. Upsetting Gatou had been worth it, but hurting his men when their hands strayed would come back and hurt them more. She needed to avoid the patrols, but mostly, she needed those herbs for Zabuza.

She was a little tired as well, mostly from sitting up next to Zabuza all night. She knew that she could make him better, but he would go and hunt down those ninja that had struck him down before. If they did so this time, there was a chance that they would kill Zabuza. She didn't want to lose Zabuza, she would have nothing left then. She would have to protect him at all costs, even staying up long hours into the early morning light.

She yawned, placing a hand over her mouth as she walked past a broken stump, the tree blasted clean from its base. There weren't any powder burns on the woods, so it might have been naturally done? She shook her head, the entire thought ridiculous. Although explosives had obviously not been used to knock over the tree, something extremely strong must have done it, and recently.

Zabuza was strong, maybe even strong enough to cleave a tree from its base if he was well. She could imagine him taking Kubikiri Houcho and shearing through a tree as he took the head from his opponent, the man never knowing he was there till both his neck and the base of the tree were cut from their trunks.

She wished he would be strong with her. She was old enough now, and it was the final way in which she could show him how much he owned her. The brothels were no longer respectable enough to find any woman not broken by Gatou's thugs, and it had been a long time since Zabuza had gone to them.

When she had been younger, and just joined Zabuza, she didn't understand what a brothel was for. Zabuza couldn't leave her since he thought she might ever run off from him. But once she had started to have the problems a female had when then neared puberty, he had stopped taking her altogether. Something about animals smelling blood in the water...

She stopped, coming out of her wishful thinking as her combat senses slapped her in the face. She wasn't alone in her clearing, the one where her herbs were at. Someone was here with her, and they weren't Gatou's thugs. They absolutely sucked at being stealthy, and this person was doing everything they could at being not seen or heard.

At least they were until they rolled over and hit something hollow against a tree that had been knocked over nearby, eliciting a grumble before falling silent again. Walking over quietly as she could, she reached up her sleeve for her ever present senbon she carried on her, loosening one into her fingers as she peered over the tree.

Bright orange assaulted her as she looked down at the shock of blond hair in a messy spray of color. They were face down asleep against the log, huddled up against the wood as if to gain some warmth from the foliage.

_'The ninja from yesterday.'_ Haku thought to herself, fingering the senbon carefully. She had been surprised that they had been able to sneak up on her, especially when the kunai had come down and nearly pierced her hand as she loaded her basket up with herbs. As she got a better look at the boy, she got a sneaking suspicion that this was one of them that had hurt her Zabuza.

She could end him, right now while he was sleeping. She felt anger curling in her belly at the thought of this blond person who had not only surprised her yesterday, but had harmed her Zabuza, the only man who she acknowledged. The senbon was out in her hand in a flash, her clothing barely making a sound as killer intent started to form around her.

He had grabbed her hand and pulled her over the log, a kunai appearing in his hand before she realized he moved. He had been a blur of motion, asleep at one moment, and now placing the tip of his weapon to the back of her neck as he held onto her weapon hand.

"Drop the weapon." His young voice brooked no tolerance. She dropped the weapon from her fingers as she lamented underestimating this ninja. It had to have been a trap. "Who are you?" His voice demanded, his hand tweaking her wrist so that she didn't get the idea of trying anything.

"My name is Haku." She said calmly, sadly. She had failed her Zabuza-sama, now all she could do is die in disgrace. "Are you going to kill me now?"

* * *

He blinked down at the pink. Looking around him quickly, he realized that he had just scared the hell out of the girl from yesterday that he had nearly killed with an errant kunai he had thrown in frustration. What the hell was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere?

"Why are you out here alone?" Naruto asked, looking down at the black hair that was surrounding her face.

"I was out picking herbs for my master. He was hurt recently, and I need them to make him better." She answered dully, the emotion in her voice now long gone.

**"Kill her, eat her flesh."** Kyuubi growled in the back of his head. **"The female lies, kill her before her friends arrive."**

He shivered at the dark whispering in his head, forcibly taking away the kunai from the back of her neck before releasing her hand. He jumped back from her, in case he had made a mistake. It had nothing to do with the sudden hatred that rose up inside of him.

She pulled back from the log, not moving her hair out of her face as she slid back at first, then stood upright, the basket hanging from one arm flopping off her wrist and to the ground. Naruto watched nervously as she seemed to just wait for him to kill her, which was unsettling him greatly.

"Please," she spoke quietly, clearly emotionally broken, "don't make me wait any longer. It's cruel of you to delay my death."

**"You heard her. She wants to die, so kill her and drink her blood!"**

Naruto shivered at the imagery of him drinking blood of any kind from a body that stared sightlessly at him, accusing him of desecrating their body after their death. "I'm sorry..." Naruto muttered weakly before turning and leaping away, the Kyuubi shouting at him to go back and kill the girl.

Haku brushed the hair back from her face, looking toward her would be murderer, only to find herself left behind. She looked down at the ground at her basket and shivered.

* * *

"OK, same as before. The sooner you start, the sooner we can leave." Kakashi directed from the bottom of his own tree, sitting back and resting as best as he could. Without Naruto there to watch over his teammates, he was going to be forced to be around them for their own protection. It was going to require him to rest a bit more than two weeks, but some things had to be done.

Sakura was struggling to climb her tree. Kakashi had taken some lead weights and filled the pockets of his vest with them before handing it over to Sakura and telling her to work with it as best as she could. Sasuke was doing exactly what he had started doing yesterday, and that was climbing the tree before him, kunai in hand. Sometimes he would get higher than he previously had, sometimes, he would do worse, but in each attempt he slashed at the spot he had made it to and started again.

They had only been working for an hour when Kakashi ordered them to stop. A few minutes later, Naruto jumped into the clearing, looking disheveled and unwashed. "Are you hungry, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, eye smiling to his blond Genin.

Naruto looked distressed, he clearly had signs of nervousness and adrenaline leaving his system, which had Sakura looking at him speculatively. Sasuke simply snorted at the look of his teammate and went back to work, muttering to himself about 'Dobe's looking for attention'.

"I think..." Naruto gasped slightly, the pace he had just moved at making him breath hard. "I think I'll be fine to train with everyone, now."

Kakashi eyed Naruto for a moment before eye smiling. "If that's the case, I'll leave you three to it. Pick a tree and get started." Kakashi got up carefully to his feet, his crutches helping him stand before turning and heading back toward Tazuna's home. Naruto and Sakura watched him until they lost sight of him.

Naruto started right away after Kakashi disappeared, moving to the very tree their sensei had been under before starting to run up it, occasionally putting too much Chakra behind a step.

Sakura managed to get two more attempts up the tree before planting herself at the base and moaning out loud. "Kakashi's a slave driver. How can he make me work like this? I'm going to have blisters on my blisters."

She watched Sasuke having trouble getting past the midway point on his tree. He would manage to get nearly over midway before he seemed to lose his focus, causing his Chakra to flare up and force him back into the air, where he would flip backwards and start again. She wished there was something she could do to help her Sasuke-kun, but knowing him, he'd never accept help from her. Anything but looking weak, and she could understand that, but it hurt to watch him fail and fail again.

Looking at Naruto, she noticed that he was doing terrible. He'd get maybe ten feet repeatedly before flipping back onto the ground. He wasn't getting anywhere at all, and if this was the best he was able to do, then...

Sakura eyed him carefully before glancing over at Sasuke. Maybe there was a way to help Sasuke-kun by helping Naruto baka...

Watching him a few more times, Sakura made her move. "Don't hold your Chakra back."

Caught off guard by the sudden help of his teammate, Naruto forgot to take his next step headed back up the tree on another running charge. His foot held out in front of him, the leg he was 'standing' on didn't have enough strength to hold him 'upright' and he bent backwards till his head collided with the ground before his foot came free and he rolled over on himself.

Peering at Sakura from between his legs, he watched her wince at his predicament before he rolled over and looked at her, confused. "I can tell by the way your stuck only getting to ten feet in the air that your trying to force your Chakra" She announced as she stood up and dusted her thighs off before walking over to Naruto. "If you force it, your Chakra will never work correctly. You need to feel how your Chakra flows and direct it, not grab hold of it and push it to where you want it."

Naruto frowned at Sakura. "How else am I supposed to get my Chakra to go where I want it?"

Sakura shook her head at him, making his frown deepen. "Kakashi told us." Sakura began, and sweat broke out all over Naruto's face. Kakashi sensei had betrayed him and told them his biggest secret? Now, because they were miles away from Konoha, he told them about...

"So you have lots of Chakra, it just means you don't have to try so hard." Sakura announced, shrugging, and also slightly envious of Naruto.

Naruto slumped where he sat, breathing a sigh of relief. He didn't want any more people knowing about that thrice damned fox, especially his teammates.

"The hand signs focus your mind as well as guide your Chakra to do what you want it to do, but with what we're doing, we have to think about how our Chakra needs to act when making our hand sign." Naruto suddenly had a mental image of Sakura pointing toward a chalk board back in the academy. "I use control and balance to create my jutsus, but I don't have a whole lot of physical power, so my Chakra is low. Still, with what I have, I can get a lot done with no waste.

"Sasuke is almost as good, having control and balance. His physical is a bit more than my own..." **'By a huge margin.'** Inner Sakura noted, but Sakura ignored it. "However, he forces his Chakra, which causes excess Chakra usage, which throws his balance off. Yours is totally different in that you have a lot of physical strength, but your mental control and balance are way off with the huge power reserves you have. It takes you way too much power to do the things me and Sasuke can do, and even then, it only works half the time cause your frustrated when the first one fails."

**"That's because you won't let me out to play..."** The Kyuubi crooned in his mind, rolling back and forth as if playing cute. Naruto wasn't buying what It was selling.

"So...my mind needs work?" Naruto asked, scratching at the back of his head weakly.

Sakura saw a chance to get back at Naruto and stuck it to him. "If I had to compare your head with something, I'd compare it to a bowl of ramen." Naruto brightened at being compared with his favorite food. "All wet noodles, and none of them are good for you." Naruto frowned at that, feeling the insult to him and his noodles. "You need to stop trying to force your Chakra to do what you want it and guide it to what you need it to do, or you'll never get anywhere with your training."

Naruto looked at her blankly for a moment before crossing his arms and thinking to himself. Sasuke looked at the both of his teammates, slightly irritated to have his problems pointed out so easily, and by the fangirl of all people. Still, if he was forcing his Chakra, then maybe Naruto was as well. If he was suddenly shown up by the Dobe...

"Oy, Naruto." Sasuke called over to him, getting both Sakura and Naruto's attention. "Even with the help, you'll never get it. You can't even beat me right now."

Naruto frowned at Sasuke. **"He's challenging you, kit!"** Kyuubi growled hotly. **"I don't care if you fall and break your head open. Get on your feet and show that emo bastard who truly is in charge!"**

"Is that some kinda dare, Sasuke Teme?" Naruto growled as he shot to his feet, fist clenched at his side as he stared hotly at his raven aired teammate.

"It would be, if I had anything to be concerned about." Sasuke shrugged with any concern for Naruto before turning his back to him. "It'll be years before you get up to my level, and that's if you can manage to don't bring the rest of us down to yours by your incompetence."

The Kyuubi was going nuts in Naruto's mind, baying for blood and the genitalia of Sasuke, and for once, Naruto agreed whole heartedly with the Demon. "I'll show you, Teme." Naruto spat as he pointed his finger at Sasuke's back. "I'll make it up that tree before you, and I'll make you eat those words!"

"Fine." Sasuke smirked over his shoulder at Naruto. "If by some miracle that you manage to beat me, I'll..." What would be a good punishment for Naruto, something that he could rub in his teammates face that would make him regret challenging his better.

"If I win, then you owe Sakura-chan a date!" Sakura stared at Naruto in shock as he declared his intent. "And not just a date you can simply show up and blow off half way through! A real date! With flowers, and chocolates, and actually taking her someplace that doesn't involve practice or being an emo bastard!"

Sasuke scowled at Naruto hatefully. Being stuck with the fangirl for a full day? He'd rather eat glass and wash it down with a generous helping of rubbing alcohol. "Fine. But if I win, then you take her out on a date. I'll even use money out of my own pocket and set you up with some place classy to go to."

Naruto was dry sweating at this point. No place liked Naruto, and if Sakura was forced to go on a date with him, they'd think that she liked him or something. That wouldn't be good for the pinkette, not good at all.

Sakura was of a split decision. She wanted Sasuke to win, and prove how great he really was over the class Dobe, but a date with Sasuke... Visions of places they could go to be alone filled her mind, actual conversations involving more that two syllables, and him actually smiling at her. There might even be a farewell kiss involved when the date ended.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted as she got to her feet and held her fist up. "What are you doing standing around for? Kakashi-sensei told us to practice, so get to it!" She kicked him in the butt toward his tree with a little too much force as he grabbed for his backside before glaring at her over his shoulder.

Forming the hand seal for Ram, the contest began in earnest.

* * *

"Have they found her yet?" Hana asked from behind her counter as she handed over a cat carrier, cat included, over to a customer with a happy smile on her face before frowning over at Team 8's instructor, Yuuhi Kurenai.

Kurenai frowned greatly, shaking her head. "They know she's still in Konoha somewhere, planning her escape from the city to join up with Team 7 on their mission to Wave country." She honestly didn't understand how Naruto's team, as dysfunctional as it was, earned the privilege to go on a C Rank mission before any of the other teams. If anything, Kakashi shouldn't have been allowed to leave his house until he put his smut away, let alone lead his team out into the field where anything could happen.

Hana smirked as Kurenai looked to be contemplating something monumental, or at least profound enough to find enlightenment. Of course, being that she was one of the few friends of Mitarashi Anko, she was being watched by ANBU to see if Anko had any kind of contact with her so they could track her down and bring her back to the Hokage. Apparently, she still remembered most of the skills that Orochimaru had taught her when she had been younger about Espionage and Subterfuge.

Her other talent laid in the torture chambers, as one of the best interrogators there were. You tend to talk fairly quickly when you have a poisonous snake tossed down the front of your pants followed by a few swift kicks to motivate the snake.

"They find out anything else about those two Nin in the road?" Hana asked as she sat back away from the counter, Mikoto yawning from where she laid, while Kanae whined occasionally, looking through the window out into the street beyond and Sanae maintained her place just past the doorway leading out from the clinic.

"All I've been told is that they were B Ranked Nuke Nin working for someone very big out of Water Country, and that Hokage-sama is starting to get very worried about Kakashi and his team." Kurenai shook her head, berating Kakashi for going out on a mission way beyond a Genin's level, especially when they're fresh out of the academy. "If it wasn't for Hokage-sama's orders, Anko would have been in Wave Country already, looking for Naruto and his team."

"Kakashi's with them, it can't be all that bad..." Placing her hands in her pockets, she studied Kurenai carefully, "Course, he s a little perverted."

"The problem isn't his perversion with his little orange book." Kurenai growled, just thinking about the lecherous piece of inspiration that took women's morality and threw it into a deep gutter of filth, "It's the fact that he might come back by himself." Kurenai turned her face slightly away from Hana before finishing her thought. "Hinata would be devastated if Naruto died..."

_'__Hinata would be devastated, or you would be?'_ Hana thought to herself as she watched the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha. "Naruto's a lot harder to kill off than what most people think." Hana answered carefully, watching the reactions of the raven haired woman. "It may very well be that he would be the one to come back by himself without his team."

"If that were the case, it would be better for him to be assumed dead like the rest of his team." Kurenai muttered quietly, though not nearly quiet enough for an Inuzuka like Hana to not be able to hear her. Hana didn't say anything, pretending that the words that came from Kurenai never occurred. "Thanks for listening to me gripe about Anko, Hana. Maybe we should all get together some time and just have some time out by ourselves, just us Women of Konoha."

Hana smirked behind the bangs hanging in front of her eyes. "Bring your friend with you, and we'll make sure to howl at the moon."

* * *

Uzuki Yuugao was not a happy woman.

This may have had something to do with her job, which was an Elite ANBU operative being used to track down an eccentric in Konoha. Some may have thought that it was her current love life and that she just wasn't getting 'it', though many of those who could have made the mention in her presence wisely kept quiet, and thus, stayed the hand of death from them. Only a rare few would have commented that it was that time of the month.

That person would never bother women ever again.

No, her irritation stemmed from having been drug away from the date she had been on with Tokubetsu Jounin Gekkou Hayate. They had one day this week that they could be together before their various missions and duties forced them to scramble for any days off they would both have together before having to head off to their respective lives once again, and Anko had to go and put this kind of stunt.

She was heading off to the apartment building that Naruto had taken possession of. A few others had gone already and investigated Anko's home and searched the apartment that Anko had taken possession of not too long ago, her move from one place to the other seeming to be stuck in limbo while she was missing. There was no way that Anko was going to show up willing in places that she commonly frequented, which left places you would normally not find Anko at.

Yuugao didn't have the slightest clue about where not to find Anko at that would make sense, but she did know of one place that most wouldn't search without tearing the place up. Landing in front of the apartment complex, Yuugao looked the place over from the outside, noticing how it was coming together. Several of the windows and doors, along with the paint and the frames around the doorways had been touched up, not to mention that the lawn was starting to come along. The place almost had a happy feel to it, and there wasn't any sign of destruction, which she wondered about, but had a guess about.

Her ankle suddenly becoming wrapped in hissing death startled her briefly before she shunshined out of the snakes grasp, landing on top of the building as she looked back down at the ground she had been standing just moments before. Where she had just been standing, several types of snakes were still heading toward the first one, though they weren't trying to strike at each other.

"Hokage-sama sent you, didn't he?" Anko's voice accused, making Yuugao look over her shoulder at the eccentric snake charmer.

Yuugao turned and crossed her arms in front of herself. "I can't go on a single date without you ruining my day, do you know how irritated that makes me?" Yuugao scowled, her customary cat mask left at home after receiving her orders in the middle of the street. "What? I can't have one day without having to keep you under control?"

Anko returned her own scowl at Yuugao while she played with a kunai in her hands. "I didn't tell you to come looking for me. You could have pretended that you didn't receive the order..."

"You're a professional." Yuugao spat at Anko. "Ignoring an order from Hokage-sama is declaring your status as a Nuke Nin. Act like a professional for a change."

"Fine." Anko huffed as she fingered the bladed tip. "You've done your job and found me. Go back to your all important date and have a good time." Anko continued to watch Yuugao, who had yet to relax.

"You need professional help, Anko." Yuugao growled darkly at the brown eyed woman. "Your obsession with Naruto is clouding your judgment."

The kunai stilled in Anko's hands. "Obsession?" Anko asked with a slight threat in her tone.

"He's a kid, just turned thirteen." Yuugao laid it out bluntly for her sometimes partner. "He's barely legal enough to be considered a love interest, and that's only because of the law stating that any and all ninja are seen in the eyes of the world as legal adults. What kind of relationship could you possibly have with someone that young?"

Anko's killing intent rippled low and deadly across the rooftop. "That isn't any of your concern, Uzuki Yuugao." Anko spat as her hand closed around the bladed end of her kunai and began to tighten.

Yuugao shook her head in disgust at Anko before dropping her stance. "Fine. I've said my peace. Do you still intend on heading off the Wave Country without permission?"

Anko stayed still for a bit longer, her expression unreadable before sighing. "No, I am a professional, and no matter how I may want to, my duty is to Konoha, not to Naruto. Now if you don't mind, I have an apartment complex to finish."

Yuugao arched an eyebrow at her. "You're doing this all by yourself?" She gestured down at her feet toward the building underneath them.

"I'm not about to let some contractors come into his home and rip the foundations out so that when he comes back, the building will collapse on us. I do live here now, thank you very much." Anko smirked at Yuugao, a victorious look flickering across her eyes.

"He's going to be suspicious." Yuugao pointed out, looking back over her shoulder to the ground below ad the lack of snakes in the grass.

"That's the idea." Anko said, earning her a confused look. "He'll want to find out what happened here, making him begin a search of the building, then he'll find me in my apartment with very little on and..." The perverse giggle that she started having made Yuugao shiver.

"Ya know," Yuugao said as she turned around, looking back toward town. "I didn't hear, see, or even want to remember anything that just took place here, but you are to report to Hokage-sama to at least reassure him that you are not about to AWOL, is that clear?"

Anko made shooing motion. "I know the routine, go be with your lover." Yuugao seemed to catch herself at the last minute, teetering on the edge of the building before shooting a hostile glare back over her shoulder at Anko. Anko grinned mischievously before watching Yuugao shunshin away. Anko frowned a moment as she stared back down at the grounds of the building, going over her thoughts on Naruto before shrugging. "Later..." she muttered to herself before heading back down.

* * *

Night was beginning to come in the land of Wave, Naruto and Sasuke continuing hard on their tree climbing while Sakura panted weakly at the base of her tree, laying splayed at its base as she watched them get so far up their tree before being forced to back flip off and start again.

Sasuke was beat and his legs burned, his Chakra coils felt like they were nearing burned out from the dull ache on top of the muscle pain he was feeling. He never thought this training was going to be so tough, simple tree climbing using Chakra. He could see now exactly what the training was meant to do, but it had seemed to idiotic at first. Live and learn is what the philosophy said, though he'd never admit to reading any.

Naruto was breathing a little heavier than he had, the constant running up the tree making his ears pump with the sound of his heartbeat as it pounded out a primal rhythm. His heart wasn't straining, his lungs weren't taxed, his legs and arms didn't even ache yet, but he could sense the weariness as it was closing in on his teammates, which made him wonder if he should be weary as well.

The Kyuubi had been watching his Chakra output and had been verbally commenting on either his lack of Chakra during an attempt (which he heard rarely) and of his overpowering of the simple skill (which he heard a lot of). He had tuned the Kyuubi into the back of his head as background noise as he focused himself on the training, feeling his rampaging energy beginning to come under some kind of control, though it was a near thing, since his focus would slip every now and then and would suddenly make him go shooting off the tree in a very dramatic back flip.

Kyuubi's Chakra was there, he could feel it now, the part that was impossible to calm in his Chakra. It was like a living animal, stalking and hunting in his veins, looking for a weakness before suddenly rushing up and pouncing on a weakness, usually when he didn't try to control it as tightly as he should and having his Chakra levels explode above what he needed.

He was getting to mid tree now, where Sasuke was having trouble getting past because of his stamina finally faltering out. He could smell the hunger smells on his team, knowing that they should probably head back to Tazuna's house and get something to eat before long, but wanting to at least meet the Teme at his level before calling it a night. He had been challenged by the high and mighty Uchiha, he wasn't about to step back a single step with the raven haired boy.

"**Once more."** Kyuubi ordered in it's instructive voice, not its demanding or threatening voice. He acknowledged it as he charged toward the tree, forming the ram sign for the umpteenth time as he began to focus Chakra into his feet. Never breaking stride, he started heading up the tree in one smooth motion, the echo of his feet pounding into the trunk of the tree keeping his focus as he headed for the sky.

Sasuke landed from his last mark, disgusted with himself for not being able to progress past the mark on the tree. It had been an hour since any remarkable difference had been accomplished, now he was stuck at his glass ceiling, unable to pass the mid part of the tree. He glanced over at Naruto, wanting to see how far the boy had gotten and was shocked to watch the blond boy head past not only his last mark, but even his own as Naruto continued climbing.

He wasn't going to think about his limits, or the line on the tree. He wasn't going to think about stopping until he reached the top of the tree and maybe a few feet beyond that. He could do this, his Chakra was constant and calm, his focus was on getting to the top, he thought he could even see the sky through the leaves thinning out as he continued to ascend. Another fifteen feet and...

"**Aaaahhhhhhhhh!"** The sudden ear splitting scream from the Kyuubi broke his concentration, along with making all thought stop. His body reacting to the Kyuubi's scream froze in place, which apparently was a bad thing as all his Chakra stopped as well, causing gravity to suddenly get a handful of the orange jumpsuit Naruto was wearing and pulled him backwards.

Even as his feet came free from the trunk, he tried pushing off, tossing the kunai ungainly toward the tree and missing it badly, not even making a mark to show where his last attempt had gotten him at before he fell backwards toward the ground. Limbs thrashed into him, knocking him ungainly around and pinwheeling him toward the ground quickly as he felt a few places dislocate or simply break from the abrupt meeting with the hard wood.

He landed on his stomach, his whole body looking like he belly flopped out of the tree and bounced just enough to prove it hurt before Naruto's consciousness was snapped into the Kyuubi's cage, his hurting form cradling his hurts as he glared hotly into the darkness of the Kyuubi's cage.

"What the hell, Kyuubi?!?" Naruto shouted loudly and with as much outrage as he could muster. "You're supposed to be helping me get this training down!"

"**You can't manage to keep your focus for longer than five seconds and suddenly blame me for breaking your concentration?!?"** Kyuubi's voice echoed back at Naruto from inside of the cage, though the Kyuubi had not yet come forward for it to be seen. **"You wanna blame someone for your incompetence, I suggest you look in a river!"**

"Screw that!" Naruto shouted back into the cage, daring to walk closer to the bars. "This is not teaching me by shouting in my mind at the worst possible time! I know you want me dead, but do it at some point in time when I might actually die, not for your sick enjoyment of it, you overgrown fur ball!"

Red Chakra leaked from the back of the cage, assumedly where the Kyuubi was hiding at. He couldn't see the outline of the animal, but he figured that if he made it mad enough, it would come face him where he could shout at it properly. He knew he couldn't do anything about the Kyuubi distracting him, not really, but venting into the thing's face tended to make his day a lot brighter.

"**Get out!"** Kyuubi shouted back at him from the back of its cage, no other sounds of movement were coming from it other than its breathing and the light of its Chakra.

The sudden kick to his head brought him back to the real world as Sakura stared down at him with a bit of anger mixed with worry. "Naruto! She shouted at him, hands planted on her hips. "Are you going to get up or not?!" Naruto blinked, dazed, from the blow to his head. He sat up and glared at Sakura, who had the modesty to look embarrassed and a bit apologetic, though she still had a whole lot of anger to give out. "We tried getting you to respond for at least five minutes now and you just kept staring off into space."

"Did you think that he might have head trauma, Sakura?" Kakashi's voice called as he limped his way into the clearing, his crutches firmly in place underneath his arms as he headed over to his students. "Honestly, he may have been seriously hurt, and you kick him in the head. If he had some kind of problem with his back, you could have very well killed him."

Sakura looked shocked at Kakashi before turning back to Naruto and bending low in front of herself. "Gomen, Naruto, I didn't..."

Naruto scowled up at the pink haired tomboy of their team before getting to his feet and dusting himself off. Glancing back up at his tree, Naruto huffed at the lack of a mark any higher than mid tree. _'Stupid Kyuubi.'_

"I came out here to gather you up for dinner and to start discussing strategy." Kakashi said, putting aside the momentary angst his team seemed to dole out by the handful. "After today, we will be rotating our training. Sakura, you will be accompanying Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami into town tomorrow to requisition food and supplies. You're also to get an idea of how bad Wave is and to tell me anything that seems out of the ordinary. Naruto, you'll be going with Tazuna on his first day back to work, which he plans on being the day after tomorrow. Until then, you're on guard duty for everyone else with your Kage Bunshin while continuing your own training. Sasuke, you're guard duty is last in the rotation, but also the most important. You can't train as hard the day before your job, so you'll have to put as much time in training on the first day as you can and rest and recover on the second before you guard Tazuna, is that understood?"

Naruto simply nodded at the orders, knowing he could pull his end and then some if required, though really not liking the thought of what this would mean. Sakura nodded as well, still looking a bit upset with herself for resorting to her first instinct again when it came to Naruto. He hadn't done anything wrong and she had struck first, asked questions afterwards once again with him. She needed her head examined. Sasuke scowled at being told that he had to limit himself when it came to training, and scowled even harder when he looked at Naruto. The mark may not have been on the tree, but Sasuke had seen where he had stopped at before he had fell out of the tree. He didn't like being shown up by Naruto, he didn't like it at all.

Walking at a pace that Kakashi could keep up with, Naruto opened the door for his team and waited for everyone to go inside before closing the door behind him and heading for his seat at the table. Tsunami didn't say anything about washing up, and given that her father was Tazuna, that was probably the reason. Still, Sakura tried to sniff at herself as they sat at the dinner table without drawing attention to themselves. Kakashi's vest having been placed over the back of the chair he was sitting in, she was beginning to wonder if the smell was from the vest, or from herself. Whichever it was, it wasn't pleasant.

Sasuke was sitting down across from Naruto, giving a very disgruntled look at the blond teammate. His progress was beyond phenomenal, and it was starting to piss him off. Watching him on that last run up the tree, it was almost as if Naruto had been holding himself back once again, hiding his skills in plain sight and being overlooked by everyone. Was it simply a matter of no one teaching him, or was it that Naruto learned faster than a normal person, allowing him to grow by leaps and bounds whereas Sasuke had to struggle to learn anything. Whichever it was, Sasuke didn't like it one bit.

"Dinner is served, everyone." Tsunami called happily from her kitchen as she brought the first bowl of stew out and placed it in front of Tazuna, kissing her father's cheek as she headed back for her son's bowl. Inari sat limply in his chairs, and Naruto wondered if the occasional brushing past his pants leg was the toes from Inari's slippers.

Once everyone had been served, Tsunami brought her own bowl in before seating herself and bowing to everyone's graciousness for waiting for her before digging into their meal together. Halfway through their meal, Tsunami looked up at her guests. "Is your training coming along? We've never had ninja staying too long in our village before, and they never trained nearby or talked about it, so I was wondering ..."

Naruto ate his stew carefully, glancing briefly at Tsunami to acknowledge her, but continued to eat his meal in silence. Sakura looked to Tsunami, who was sitting next to her and smiled happily, "It's a little tiring, actually. We're doing the best we can, but we can't do much without our sensei teaching us anything while he is recovering, so we're keeping up with our Chakra control exercises."

"I see." Tsunami didn't really understand, but it was at least kinder to make as if she did understand.

"Hey, old man." Sasuke called out from the end of the table. "How long will it take to complete your bridge?"

Tazuna put his spoon down into the stew before looking seriously at Sasuke. "If my calculations are correct, The bridge will be completed within a little under two weeks, weather permitting."

Sasuke nodded as he went back to eating, wondering if or when Gatou would try to strike at them, and hoping he sent more that just thieves and vagabonds.

Kakashi looked up from where he sat, a eye smile shining from underneath his hitae-ate. "I've made arrangements for my students to guard both you and Tsunami when she heads into town. No sense in making a bad situation into a worse one."

"Thank you." Tazuna looked relieved as he looked from his grandson to his daughter. "If anything happened to my family, I don't know what I'd do."

Inari seemed to hitch in his seat when Kakashi mentioned protection and his face shifted to a dark frown as he listened to his grandpa. "Why do you even bother?" Inari spoke darkly, his voice causing everyone but Naruto to stop and look at him. "Everyone who's ever gone against Gatou has died, so why bother?"

Sasuke snorted, giving a superior look from where he sat. "Obviously, whoever went up against Gatou before must have been incredibly weak. As ninjas, we're trained to take out anyone in our path, no matter who they are."

Kakashi frowned at Sasuke while Inari's face went from depressed to incensed. "you don't know what Gatou's like! How can you sit there and act so calm when he's going to kill you?" Inari looked around them and deliberately picked Naruto out, who hadn't paid a single bit of attention to him since he started. "You don't know what it's like to suffer at the hands of that monster! Especially the blond one! He looks like he's never suffered in his entire life!"

The spoon in Naruto's hand bent completely out of shape in his grip, yet his eyes remained down at his food.

"Ninjas, from the time they enter the academy to the time they go out into the field, are trained in some pretty harsh lessons about suffering." Kakashi said calmly, trying to deflect Inari's ire away from Naruto. Unfortunately, it seemed only to inflame it even more.

"So what?!?" Inari shouted as he got out of his seat, standing up as tall as he could as he sent accusing stares and finger pointing at the ninjas of Konoha. "Just because you train to deal with that kind of pain doesn't mean you've ever lived it!" Naruto's stew bowl was starting to rattle in front of him and his spoon in his hand was showing signs of melting as Inari continued. "You don't know what it's like to go hungry, or worry that people are going to come in the night to kill you in your sleep! You've never wondered where your father is or how to make a living except to kill a person! You can't possibly understand our suffering, so don't pretend you know anything!"

The bowl in front of Naruto shattered, spilling stew all over the place in front of Naruto, including down into his lap. Kakashi reached for his headband, resting his fingers underneath of it as red Chakra rippled around Naruto like a heat shimmer. Sakura gasped in shock and recoiled away from Naruto, literally falling out of her seat as she moved herself away from her suddenly dangerous partner. Looking up with his squinty eyed look, Naruto poked at the fragments of his bowl before looking at Tsunami.

"Sorry for wasting your meal, Tsunami-san." Naruto spoke calmly, though the Chakra rippled the air around him brighter at the woman's fear. Standing up from his chair, Naruto's hand singed the back rest as he pushed the chair back in and headed for the door. "Kakashi-sensei." Naruto called without turning back around to face everyone, the boy continued. "I'll remain outside until the mission is over, in case of any surprise attacks."

He finished lacing his ninja sandals onto his feet before standing up and being careful with his hands to not ruin the door handle before closing it behind him.

Kakashi removed his hand from his headband slowly with a drawn out sigh before eying Inari. "Until you've walked 10 years in Naruto's shoes, you don't get the right to complain about your life. Be grateful that you still have a family, Naruto never got the chance to meet his mother or father, nor did he have any friends. In fact, unless something has changed that I don't know about, Naruto doesn't have a single friend."

Inari wasn't going to listen to this crap. Someone who had a harder life than him? Yeah, right. Bolting from the dining room upstairs to his bedroom, he slammed his door behind him.

Tsunami sat, stunned as she processed what Kakashi had said. "That boy, Naruto," Tsunami said faintly, "He's never had anyone?"

Kakashi eyed his teammates, who were looking curiously at him before sighing and sitting back in his seat, his hands going for his pockets. "I started watching Naruto when he was a baby, this was just after he was placed in an orphanage." Kakashi remembered that place, he didn't have a choice about remembering the place that made hell look like a swell summer home. "Naruto stayed in that place up until his seventh birthday where the Hokage was finally forced to allow Naruto to get a place by himself. All I'll say is that Naruto could no longer live in the orphanage due to safety reasons for the staff. The rest is his story to tell."

Closing his eye, he gave them a bit more. "There was one time when he stopped a kidnapper by himself, though he had to kill the man to do so." Sakura looked like she was going to be sick whereas Sasuke looked incensed. Kakashi didn't notice this as his eyes were still closed. "One girl started to be his friend, but because she heard about another boy who had lost everything much like Naruto had, their friendship never really got started. Kinda like one of those friendly neighbor friendships, you say hi and smile as you walk by, but you don't really know them at all."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, looking at a shocked Tazuna and a crying Tsunami. "He's a kid who never was allowed to be a kid., pure and simple."

* * *

She was out in the moonlight amongst the trees, hunting for more herbs for her Zabuza-sama. Being careful, she moved silently and stealthily near a running stream as she headed back to the area that held the most herbs. Gathering them while everyone was out either getting drunk or sleeping, Haku figured that no one would attempt to try Zabuza, even while she was gone. Still, she was worried that one drunk fool inebriated to the gills would test his luck and his skill with a blade by getting close her her Zabuza-sama and trying to put a blade into him.

She couldn't allow that to happen. She needed to gather up as many herbs as she could and get back to him as fast as possible. It was the only thing that she had the power to accomplish at this point, and she wasn't about to fail.

Hesitating near the water's edge, she wondered if the strange blond haired boy was stalking her. For two days now, she had all but stumbled over him, the last time nearly literally. He may have been sleeping against a felled tree, but she had been daydreaming right up until the point where her training had brought her attention back up around her, but that still wasn't the point for her zoning out.

As if the Gods were mocking her, her periphery senses picked up a familiar presence along the bank of the stream, and her ears pricked up at the sounds of splashing coming from ahead of her. She sighed, getting a dreadful feeling in the bottom of her stomach as she headed for the noise. No sense in delaying what seemed to be Kami's will, after all.

She saw him washing off something bright orange in the river, scrubbing the fabric against a shallow part in the river where he could get up to his ankles in the water without having to get to wet as he scrubbed what appeared to be his pants. Dark muttering seemed to e his companion as the boy could be heard muttering to himself as if he was carrying on a conversation with someone, but her senses weren't picking up another in the area.

She stood nearby, partially obscured behind a tree as she watched him scrubbing at his pants, thoroughly, making sure to get himself wet on the legs before scrubbing a bar of soap into his skin. His boxers fluttered around his thighs, bright green frogs adorning the fabric, making the white background all the more eye catching. She still couldn't understand this kid's stealth capabilities. Silent enough to not even be picked up by her, and yet unable to sense those around him. Whoever his sensei was needed their head examined.

They had been brought together three times now. She believed in fate, knowing that sometimes things were meant to happen for a reason. She knew that Fate wasn't a certainty, but she did know when a cosmic sign was pointing down at someone and reading 'This way to your Future!'. Taking the hint, she called out to the boy.

"Well, hello." He dropped his pants and dived for his weapons satchel with a preternatural grace, coming up with a kunai in hand before she could think to do anything but blink at him. "I didn't mean to startle you." Se spoke quickly, making sure to keep her hands out where he could see them. "I just wanted you to know I was here before something bad happened to me again."

The boy eyed her for a bit before reaching over and snatching his pants out of the current of water and tossing them down nearby. He made sure to pull a kunai out of his weapons satchel before also tossing it aside, not moving other than to watch her. In a way, the look that she was getting from him reminded her of her Zabuza-sama. The same distrust and weighing glance that measured every piece of her before reassessing her once again.

"Are you some kinda ninja, lady?" The boy asked her carefully. She stamped down the flinch at his guess as he continued. "Ever since coming to Wave Country, I've nearly killed you twice and you've surprised me just now. Either you have some sick death wish, or you got some really bad luck there."

She sweat dropped at how close he was to the truth. "You have been in some of the places I gather my herbs at. I would have figured you were the one stalking me instead of the other way around."

Naruto didn't reach for his clothes yet, and the light from the slow rising moon was making his hair shine oddly, not to mention the shine his wet legs were causing. He had to be cold, and yet it didn't seem to bother him in the least, nor was he blushing with her looking at him. He was either not concerned about a girl looking at him in his partially naked form, or that he hadn't realized it yet.

Movement out in the woods made Haku spin around, and the sound of the foliage breaking loudly suddenly made her spin around and crouch reflexively. Having an arm wrap around her waist and suddenly jump with her into a nearby tree nearly made her shout in surprise until she looked at the blond boy standing next to her with his arm around her waist.

From out of the woods stumbled a vagabond with a sword around his waist who was drunk to the gills. He stumbled awkwardly over to where Naruto had been standing at, hiking up the front of his jerkin before relieving himself into the river. Naruto guided Haku to stand close to the trunk of the tree before moving outward along a limb, heading over top of the drunk.

The man wobbled in place as he tried to steady upright and prevent his clothing from being soaked in the river and himself. He readjusted himself and happened to catch his foot in Naruto's wet pants, making him stumble and relieve himself over his own leg, which earned a curse and a mutter. Kicking at the orange clothing, the man seemed to try to focus on it as Naruto jumped up into the air and formed a hand sign.

The drunk looked down blearily as the orange clothing, as if trying to figure out exactly what it was. He grunted once, kicking the wet clothing out, trying to straighten it without touching it as Naruto's clone popped into existence in mid air underneath of him. Naruto jumped off the clone's shoulders, forcing the clone toward the ground while Naruto got an extra bit of lift. The clone splashed into the water loudly, popping out of existence as it struck the surface.

The man turned where he stood, trying to draw his sword at the sudden noise from the river when Naruto dropped down on his head feet first, driving the drunken face into the rocky ground. He rolled off the man after impacting with the back of his head, trying not to kill the man, but merely knock him out. He rolled to his feet and rose into a crouch, waiting for any movement from the man. A groan came from him and Naruto ran over to him, finishing his work by kicking the man in the temples, finally making the man black out.

Naruto eyed the person for a while longer, making sure that he wasn't faking being knocked out before jumping back up to Haku. Grabbing her around her waist, he jumped her back down onto the ground before jumping back fro her.

"You should get out of here as soon as you can. He probably wasn't alone." Naruto commented as he rushed over for his pants, which were now dirty again and his weapon satchel. Strapping it back onto his left leg, he made sure to give the man one more swift kick to the head before heading off away from the unconscious, smelly person.

"Wait." Haku called as she came over to him, taking him by the hand and walking him back down stream the way she had come. She didn't know why she was taking him with her, she wasn't even sure if Zabuza-sama would be upset with her for this. Most likely, he would be, but he never asked what happened to her when she forayed out by herself, so why should now be any different.

"Lady, I gotta go." Naruto said as he tried pulling his hand free, only to have her jerk his arm particularly hard to follow her.

"You'll catch your death of cold in those wet things." Haku said as she drug him further down river before cutting up a deer path, heading inland to one of the wild groves she had just come from. "We need to get you some place where you can dry your clothes out."

Naruto frowned at the back of the woman's head. Was this some kind of trick? He'd never had anyone care about him up, well there had been Ino for a brief time and some of the ANBU that didn't treat him bad, but someone who was actually concerned for his health? "You don't even know who I am." He commented at her.

Stopping in place she tilted her head back toward him, the smile she game him coming over her shoulder as her hair fell a little to obscure her cheek. "My name is Haku, now come on. We have to go."

Stumbling after the woman, he wondered what he had gotten himself into this time around.

* * *

**Hhmmm, I noticed now, after going through and making sure all the t's were dotted and the i's were crossed that I never really did explain why the Kyuubi shouted. Oh well, some mysteries for the next chapter, I supposed.**


	14. Innocent Ice Maiden

**Check it Out! one month has gone by since this was updated, which is probably faster than some other things I've done in my spare time. In any event, this will start getting things ready for the final Wave Fight, and to the end of the Wave Arc. If I don't see at least one hateful email/review after Wave Arc, I've Done Something Wrong!**

**Disclaimer: He did it!**

**Notable Mentions: This chapter was brought to you in no small part due to Narilyte's help. Down on your knees and worship Narilyte's Feet, Peasants!!! If the chapter sucks, It's My Fault! I did it!**

* * *

"Blah" - Normal Speech

_"Blah"_ - Thinking

**"Blah!"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** - Jutsus being used

* * *

"You're a boy?" Naruto asked as he sat in front of the small campfire, his pants hanging off a makeshift clothes hanger on another side of the campfire. Sitting on the other side of the campfire was Haku, who had just pulled him away from the river.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but yes." Haku smiled brightly to Naruto, hoping her ruse was going to work. Zabuza-sama had warned her about people taking advantage of her if they knew her true gender.

"Why the clothing then?" Naruto asked, staring at the pink clothes.

"I was told to dress this way to be seen as unimportant, but it doesn't seem to be working too much out here." She tried to maintain her smile, but the sound of her voice weakening put the lie to her smile.

"**She's lying."** Kyuubi yawned in the back of his mind, the ever present voice a whisper in his ear.

Naruto stared at Haku for a few moments before shrugging. He didn't quite believe the fox, but then again, he didn't have a reason to believe the boy/girl/whatever either. Honestly, he didn't know why he was sitting across from Haku half naked. She should have been camped out some place nearby Tazuna's house. No way was he going to go back in the house.

"Thanks for taking me to safety." Naruto bowed to her from where he sat before checking his pants one more time. "You should go home now."

Haku stared at the boy as he inspected his pants before sitting back and staring at the fire, his eyes holding something familiar to her. "Are you alone?"

Naruto shrugged. He wasn't about to tell her if he was or wasn't alone out here. Who knew who was watching right now, anyways?

"What about brothers or sisters?" Haku asked. Naruto sat up straighter and blinked at her, confused. Haku giggled behind her hand before giving Naruto a considering smile. "I didn't mean if your team was nearby, I was wondering if you had any family."

Naruto considered telling her about his past. Would it really make a difference what it was like growing up? Haku looked young, maybe she had never been to Konoha. "I've been an orphan all my life." Naruto answered, his eyes tilting back down into the fire. "About a decade ago, a monstrous creature attacked our village and many people were killed when it attacked. Ninja and civilians like yourself were caught in its path and trampled or death, or devoured by the power of the Biju. My family was just a few of those people."

Haku stared down into the fire herself, remembering back to her own childhood. "You're lucky." She said to him. Noticing he was looking at her in surprise, she smiled sadly to him. "You didn't have to watch your father kill your mother, then try to kill you."

Naruto winced as his thoughts traveled over his doubts. Who's to say that his father would never have tried to kill him? Hell, maybe his mother would have done the deed herself if she had ever been told what was sealed inside of him. When you have the King of the Biju in your body, you tend to think dark thoughts.

"**I love you, too. Now hurry up and kill yourself so I can get out!"** Kyuubi laughed in his mind, making his suffering triple.

"Can you tell me something?" Haku asked, getting a confused look from him. "What is strength to you?"

"**Strength is the power to erase from existence everything."** Kyuubi answered in his head in a smug and superior tone. **"Strength means to be a force unto oneself that cannot be mastered, contained, or controlled. To be invincible!"**

"Strength?" Naruto asked, scratching his temples. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Haku smiled wistfully at him, giving him an unnerving feeling. "Strength to me is my Master." She said, her voice longing. "He is what gives me the power to go on, even when I want nothing more to do than to lay down and die in misery."

Naruto stared at Haku, wondering what she could have seen in her life to say something like that. Looking back down in to the fireplace, Naruto shivered as a chill ran through him. "What if you couldn't die?" Haku looked up from the fire to give him a curious look. "What if, even after taking a mortal blow, you just couldn't die?"

Haku wondered why he asked that question. "I would consider it a gift from Kami if that were to happen. I could protect my master long after my body had been torn to pieces."

Naruto gripped his arms as he continued to watch the flames. "What if he passed on? Even with the power to go on forever, what would you do then?"

"He won't die." Haku's voice turned frigid, gaining Naruto's attention. He winced at the arctic stare she was giving him. "My master is too strong to die by anyone's hands."

"_OK, really need to switch topics." _Naruto scratched the back of his head before stopping, realizing something. "You said you were coming out here to gather more herbs, doesn't that mean that your master is sick or something?"

Haku could feel a trickle of sweat hang from her brow, realizing how close she was to blurting out that it was his fault that Zabuza-sama was 'sick'. "He, ah, was caught in a fight not too long ago. He would have beaten them easily, but was surprised from behind."

Naruto nodded. Sucked to get jumped when you aren't expecting it. Konoha taught him to grow eyes in the back of his head, and make him heighten his other senses just to make sure. "What do those herbs look like?" Naruto had the time, wasn't like he was going anywhere till his pants dried.

Reaching down into her basket, Haku pulled one of the herbs she had managed to collect before the sun went down and lifted it in her hand, holding it out into the camp light so he could see it clearly. "This is an herb I can use for healing. There are many other different types of herbs out here, and some weeds that look just like this, so I have to be careful to gather up the right kinds."

Naruto nodded, feeling his pants once again, and frowning when he felt a little dampness left. "Not to be rude or anything, but you really should be going home. Gatou's men are going to be looking for me, so you being out here by yourself gathering herbs is going to be that much more of a problem for you. At least wait until the sun comes up to stay away from his men."

Haku smiled to him before considering something. Giving him one of her brighter smiles, she said, "I'll consider going home if you tell me your name." Naruto look at her strangely, as if she was something weird he'd never seen before. "I've told you my name, but you haven't told me yours."

"**Don't do it."** Kyuubi warned. **"A ninja's identity is supposed to be secret. She could be hunted down simply because she was associated with you, then they'd find out through her where you could be found."**

"_Make your mind up."_ Naruto groused in his head to the Kyuubi. _"Either you want me dead, or you want to help me, but pick a side already, would ya? You're giving me a headache."_ Kyuubi growled threateningly in his head, but he ignored the beast. "I'm Naruto, now go home."

Haku smiles at him. "I don't think I will go home." She answers before giggling at him.

"You said you'd go home if I told you my name..." Naruto growled at her happy personality.

"I said I'd consider going home. There is a difference between going home and considering to go." Haku smiled brightly at him, humming to herself.

"**God, you're an idiot!"** Kyuubi shouted at him, making a disgusted sound before fading back into his mind.

"Whatever." Naruto grumbled as he took his pants from the clothes hanger and throwing them on quickly, ignoring the stinging heat as he zipped and buttoned them back on. "Good luck with your herbs, Haku-san." Naruto commented before jumping up and into the trees, leaving Haku behind.

Haku frowned at the place where Naruto had disappeared up into. If she really wanted to, she could subdue the blond boy and show him some manners, however, she had a job to do. Kicking some dug up earth from the pit underneath the flames, she smothered the majority of the fire before picking up her basket. She still had a job to do, after all.

-

Sasuke had gotten up early to begin his training, staying around long enough to keep an eye on things until Sakura left with Tsunami to head into town and find some more supplies to restock the pantry with. After making sure that Kakashi was awake so that he could sit down with Tazuna, he stepped outside and nearly walked into Naruto, who had appeared from someplace nearby.

Grumbling about silent blond idiot's and their need to be flashy, he began to warm up by practicing his family style taijutsu. It irritated him to watch Naruto, who seemed to have more secrets than he thought possible. To have some vaguely overpowered and unknown bloodline that allowed him to have huge amounts of Chakra, the things he could do with that kind of power.

He wouldn't have to be stuck doing only C Rank jutsus from his family's vault because his Chakra capaticy was so low. He could use some of the more power fire based jutsus like the Karyuudan and the Karyuu Endan without restraint, burning everything in his path to his brother.

He growled subconsciously as his thoughts returned back to his one obsession since his life was changed forever. His brother had been the one Uchiha that the entire clan could hold on high as the example that all Uchiha should aspire to be. He was told how his brother had been the earliest graduate of the academy ever, something they had high expectations to emulate, seeing as Itachi was his brother.

One year later, during one of his academy missions outside of the village, he activated his Sharingan eyes, making him the youngest ever to activate his bloodline. His father wouldn't give him a kind word after that day, spending all his effort providing the Prodigy Uchiha with every available resource the clan could afford. His taijutsu was accelerated to unprecedented speeds, turning him into a super prodigy that no one could keep up with.

After two years of work as a Genin, he took his test to become a Chuunin at age 10, setting another example at the greatness of the Uchiha bloodline. It seemed that nothing could stop him, and when he finished the exam, he was sent into ANBU on their fast track program for their Black Ops program. He wasn't supposed to talk about such things, but his father wouldn't relent until he told him everything.

It was only two years when Itachi paid back his people. Betrayed his family, betrayed his past, betrayed his blood. Betrayed Him! It would have better if the Uchiha quarter had been burnt to the ground...the very same ground that had held them for generations. He wouldn't have had to see the bodies...the blood...the bloodied sword dripping with the essence of the Uchiha...but worst of all, his brother's sight cursed eyes!

He had been standing over their parents bodies as if they meant nothing to him! His ANBU sword held in his hand, held in such a casual way, as if the butchering of their parents had meant nothing, even less than nothing! His eyes...beyond the three tomoe Sharingan, into what he would later find out was called the Mangekyou Sharingan that had put him in that hell!

He panted as he stopped his kata, having to stop before the dreams came to the front and ran out of control. He couldn't let his past haunt him, not like before. It would bring back the memories of then and what he had seen. It would bring back his taunting words, those condescending words that plagued his life. Every day when he was denied the tools to defeat his own brother!

He stared at the tree that taunted him, his step toward revenge. His head ached from the blood rushing through his temples, his breath coming roughly to his throat and his skin tingly. He looked over at Naruto's tree and scowled.

The blond Dobe of the class. The unsuspecting idiot. The class clown. The titles never seemed to end when referring to him. No one would have suspected that Naruto had been holding back as long as he had, with everything. Naruto's skills at hand to hand might still suck, however it did little to make him feel better. He had far to many advantages to count, things that Sasuke would kill for.

He noticed when Naruto had stopped wearing the bandage around his hand the few hours after they had confronted those two Nuke Nin in the road on their way here. He had observed the blond ever since the fight that had exposed Tazuna's actual plans all the way up to the fight with Zabuza, and had noticed the discrepancy when he used his hand without the wince of pain on an open wound. Naruto's Kage Bunshin was also another advantage, to create a perfect clone of yourself in every way, including how you thought. He could spar against himself for hours, refining his technique to work out the flaws in his stance, in his punching, in his jutsus.

The fact that Naruto had also managed to wound an A Rank Missing Nin hurt the worst out of everything. In one move, he had not only deceived Zabuza, but he had attacked and wounded the swordsman enough to lead to Kakashi's victory, leaving the swordsman near enough to death to have to escape under deception,whereas he had been paralyzed with fear first before barely even being able to fight of a Mizu Bunshin that had only ten percent the strength of the original.

Naruto plagued him as much as his brother did, every advancement he made, Naruto seemed to make one just as big in not bigger than his own. Tutored by ANBU even before being in the academy, hiding his truth strength, deceiving an A Rank Missing Nin, and now his huge capacity for Chakra!

Forming the hand sign of the ram, Sasuke charged the tree trunk at full tilt, running up the side of the tree as fast as his legs could take him. He wouldn't fall behind Naruto. Naruto was his measuring stick to his brother, the only way he could compare himself to that far off image. He'd be damned if he wasn't able to match up to the class Dobe!

-

Sakura walked into town with Tsunami, staring at the state of the people in the street, who had no place left to go. People sat in the street, looking beaten, hungry, defeated in every sense of the word. Dirt covered everything about them, and their eyes were clouded over in dejection.

"It wasn't always like this." Tsunami spoke softly to Sakura. "Our village used to be such a kind place. No one ever went hungry, we were always clothed nice and well kept. If anyone ever fell on hard times, the whole village would pitch in." Tsunami smiled before it faded slowly. "Gatou changed all that. He prevented the fishermen from going out to make a living, forcing us to find new ways to survive. He blockaded the village so that no one would land at our docks unless it was for his men, and we didn't have the power to stop the weapons on his ships. In the end, we turned our head, and ignored it what was really happening to us."

"How can anyone live like this?" Sakura asked, unable to believe the state of the town. It was downright cruel to force people to survive on nothing but handouts. When they finally arrived at the vendors further in town, she got another shock "100,000 for a handful of apples?!? No one can afford those prices!"

"We have to push our prices up to pay for our homes." The vendor calmly addressed Sakura. "With Gatou effectively cutting our little island off, he's become like a Lord and is demanding protection money from us for his own thugs, who come into town at times and take what they want."

"Is that even legal? Why don't your police force do something?" She felt something reaching across the lower half of her dress and looked over her shoulder, catching a person reaching for her ninja satchel. With a shout of outrage, she pivoted in place and punched the man backwards, sending him into a nearby wall. "Pervert! Where the hell did you think you had your hand at anyways?!?" The man shrugged off his daze and stumbled off down an alleyway, trying to get away from Sakura.

"You shouldn't be so harsh on him." Tsunami placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "He probably thought you had money inside your satchel and must have been too hungry to think of the consequences."

"Maybe you're right." Sakura deflated from righteous anger to depression. She didn't want some creepy person touching her butt, she wanted Sasuke to do it. Well, maybe not yet, but someday!

As they walked, they talked a bit more about the state of things on the island before Tsunami asked a personal question to Sakura. "What do you think about your teammates? They seem..." Tsunami didn't know how to say troubled without sounding rude.

"Kakashi-sensei is a weird teacher, and whatever is in that orange book of his gives me the creeps." Sakura shivered as she discussed her team. "Sasuke's had it rough. He lost his family while he was in the academy to become a ninja, but he doesn't talk about it with anyone. It's kinda depressing."

Tsunami waited a bit before asking, "And Naruto?"

Sakura frowned. "He's a pain in the rear." she grumbled as they continued to walk, not noticing Tsunami glancing at her. "He throws himself into danger like he's got a death wish, doesn't talk at all unless absolutely necessary, and stays in the background most of the time. It's definitely nothing like when he was younger, before the ninja academy."

"He was different before becoming a ninja?" Tsunami asked, finding the few vegetables and fish they can afford and buying them as she listened.

Sakura thinks about it carefully, trying to place the day when he changed. "Ino, my friend, took me over to his house one day to meet her friend. He was overly happy about living in a trashbin of an apartment, like it was the greatest thing in the world, even if the roof had a hole in it that you could see the sunlight through."

She's in the middle of thinking when she feels someone pulling on the back of her top. A vein sticks up on her forehead as she rounds on whoever is trying to grab her butt again, only to stop short as she notices two kids, a boy and a girl looking up at her in hope. Feeling her heart melt at the look in their faces, she reaches into her satchel and opens a ration bar for them, handing them both half. Giggling, the children bow to her before rushing off with their prizes, heading back down the alley the desperate man/pervert ran down. Maybe they were his kids? That didn't make her feel so good about clobbering him.

"We should probably be heading back soon, I have about everything we can afford." Tsunami spoke to get Sakura's attention, who looked up at the older woman before nodding.

This place needed a miracle, or it was going to die a very lonely death.

-

Naruto stood up on a roof over top of Tsunami and Sakura, watching for any weapon wielding thugs as the two women finished their shopping and began heading home. He looked once at the people in the streets, the alleyways, the shops. He knew that look, he'd worn it a few times.

He waited until they were out of town before turning back and looking back at the village that was more a gathering of shacks than anything else. They didn't deserve this wasting misery. Heading off to the forest that he ha come from last night, he sent some shadow clones to escort Sakura and Tsunami back home.

-

"Zabuza-sama, you shouldn't be moving." Haku admonished her master as the man attempted to sit up weakly in his bed.

"I'll do what I damn well please." Zabuza muttered as he moved himself carefully, forcing his body to move, even as his back protested. "You didn't have any trouble last night, did you? I don't want to have to explain to Gatou why several of his men are dead."

Haku tilted her head slightly. "No one was killed last night, Zabuza-sama. I didn't have to defend myself once from anyone."

Zabuza nodded, expecting nothing less from Haku. She was turning out to be his greatest accomplishment. "You're doing a good job, Haku. Now, did anything happen that you need to tell me about?"

Haku hesitated as she reached for the bandages she had laden with the crushed herbs from the woods for a moment. Did Zabuza know? Maybe she needed to tell him, in case she missed something. "I've made contact with the blond ninja who attacked you from behind."

Zabuza watched her from behind his bandaged face, his body limp. "What have you found about him?"

Removing the bandages from Zabuza's shoulder, she began to speak. "He's a Genin, very unsure of himself. Seems to have some problems with his home village, which he still claims to be Konoha. His stealth is high Chuunin, which makes me wonder if he's had specialized training. Even I could barely sense him, and he's surprised me three times."

Zabuza watched her for any tells that she was being anything but truthful to him. He may have raised her, but there was always the chance. "What have you learned about his team? Anything about them?"

Haku shook her head as she cleaned his shoulder with a damp cloth before patting it cry with a towel. "Pulling information from him is worse than pulling teeth. Torture may be the only way to get anything out of him."

Zabuza nodded as he leaned forward a little, allowing Haku to wrap the bandage under his arm and around his back so she could secure it to his shoulder. "You haven't told him about who we are, have you?"

Haku shook her head, pulling the bandage tight before layering it. "All I have said is that my master has been hurt and that I am gathering herbs to make him better." The back hand that knocked her from her seat and bounced her from the bed caught her off guard. She moaned as she laid there for a second, letting the pain subside.

"If he's not the Genin you think he is, you've given us away." Zabuza groused from his bed, laying his arm back alongside of him. "We could be attacked at any moment because you couldn't think of something else. I should kill you now for your ignorance."

She sat up weakly from where Zabuza had knocked her to. "I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama."

"If you're sorry, then you can leave now." Zabuza said shortly, eying her from where she sat up from. "You have to be better than that if you're going to be a ninja. What the hell was going through your head?"

"Forgive ma, Zabuza-sama." Haku weeped where she sat, holding her cheek.

Zabuza eyed her for a little longer before making a disgusted sound. "Finish your job, Haku, then get out." He needed to get better, faster. This was taking too long.

-

Dinner was a subdued affair at Tazuna's for a change. Inari didn't come down when summoned, leaving everyone to eat quietly. Sakura looked at the empty seat next to her with a frown of worry, though everyone else didn't seem to find it odd to miss Naruto at the table. Kakashi had said that he could feel several clones standing around the house, so Naruto was nearby, but apparently he was being very serious about not coming back into the house anytime soon.

She wondered if something really had happened to Naruto that could make him stop trying to be the annoying little boy he used to have been. It made her...sad, though she didn't know why.

"Are you sure he's going to be alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked once again, looking at her sensei, who was reading at the table with his little orange book.

Kakashi glanced up from his book to look at the only female on the team before eye smiling at her. "It's nice that you're concerned about Naruto, but don't worry. He'll come back when he's hungry."

"But Zabuza..." Sakura blurted out, only to hear Tzauna and Tsunami stop eating with a clatter.

"Zabuza?" Tazuna asked. "That same ninja you fought in the forest? I thought you said he was dead."

Kakashi didn't wince, but the guilty look on Sakura's face gave up any pretense about covering up her slip. "It looks as if the ninja we battled on our way here wasn't as dead as we thought he was. We've made arrangements for such a thing and are giving you the protection you'll need until I return to full health."

Tazuna put his spoon down and pushed back his food, looking solemn. "So he could return soon." Tsunami looked worriedly at her father as the old man continued. "If he comes back, I don't want you risking your lives for me any more. You've already done enough, there's no point in losing your lives for me."

"You make it sound like as if you had a choice." Sasuke said after swallowing the mouthful of food he had. Giving Tazuna a cool look, he continued. "Our duty is to make sure you complete your bridge in time. We took the job and we will complete it."

Tsunami placed her hand on her father's. "Please, father. Let them help you."

Tazuna looked firmly at his daughter with a sadness mixed in. "I'm sorry, Tsunami. I just don't want them ending up like Kaiza did. We're not worth that."

"Kaiza?" Sakura asked, watching as Tsunami's face dropped into despair and loneliness. "Who is that?"

"Kaiza was my son-in-law." Tazuna answered, his voice saddened. "We didn't know him for long, he simply rode in off the sea one day and brought a life to our village that we seemed to have never realized we were missing. He married Tsunami and was the father to Inari that he never had growing up." Tazuna's face scowled as he continued. "When Gatou came, Kaiza was the one who tried to get us to stand against the tyrant. They captured Kaiza and made a public spectacle out of him by tying him up in the center of town and tortured him before executing him in front of the whole village."

"He was..." Tsunami sniffed before dabbing at her eye. "He was a good man."

Sasuke finished his meal in silence before getting up from the table, thanking Tsunami for the food. He headed for the door, putting on his ninja sandals in silence before Sakura called out to him. "Sasuke, where are you going?"

"I have one full day tomorrow before I have to go on guard duty." Sasuke called over his shoulder. "I'm not going to waste it by sleeping." He closed the door behind himself quietly, leaving the room in silence.

"And that's how it is." Kakashi answered, pushing his empty plate from in front of him. "You will be protected by us, Tazuna. Not because we're being paid to do it, but because it's the right thing to do. Rest assured, we will protect you until you complete your task." Looking over to Sakura, he said to her, "You should probably get some rest as well, Sakura. Tomorrow, we accelerate your training."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura nodded as she finished her food before heading to bed.

-

Naruto sat in front of a camp fire, the last of the sun starting to go down as he waited for the meat from a duck he managed to hit with his kunai roasted over the cook fire. It had taken awhile to figure out how to clean the animal so that he could eat it safely, but he had managed as best as he could.

"**I'll make a survivor out of you yet."** Kyuubi hummed in enjoyment as Naruto watched the meat glisten with its own fats. **"Wonder what it tastes like?"**

"_Tastes like?"_ Naruto tilted his head to the side. "_You've never tasted duck before?"_

Kyuubi seemed to go quiet for a moment before what sounded like a sigh came from it. **"I've never had taste buds before. His turning human thing is happening faster than what I thought possible."**

Naruto blinked once, then a second time as higher thinking seemed to stop for a second. _"Human?"_ Naruto stood up from where he had been sitting in shock. _"You've already started turning human?!?"_

"**Since you want to make a big something out of it, Yes! I'm turning human!"** Kyuubi snarled. **"Thank you for informing me about the totally obvious, you baka!"**

Naruto was wrenched into the Kyuubi's prison area in his mind, or wherever it was. Lurching forward from the sudden pulling, he stared up once more at the large bars of the Kyuubi's cage, wondering why it had been him that had been forced to take the Kyuubi into his body once again. Movement in front of him at hip height made him jump back fro mthe cell reflexively as he stared intently into the darkness surrounding the interior of the Kyuubi's cage.

It was hard to see in the dim edge of light that seemed to never pass beyond the bars, but stand not two legs, not tall enough to even be a child was the small body on a kid. The child had small fur along the backs of its arms and a patch of hair that ran from its groin upward along the center of its chest, leaving the sides uncovered by fur. Strips of fur were placed along the upper knee to the hip and the tops of the ankles to just below the knees, but it was most definitely a human child.

A human child with slitted red eyes and bright red fur.

"**This is all your fault!" **The human body of the Kyuubi bellowed at him with the lung capacity of its large demon form. Fur bristled everywhere on its body in indignation. **"If not for you, I wouldn't be turned into this form in the first place!"** Kyuubi continued to shout at him as Naruto stood dumbfounded where he was.

Naruto stared at the Kyuubi's new form blankly, letting its rage wash over him. He just couldn't understand it. The Kyuubi had been this larger than life creature standing above his head and radiating enough killer intent to lay waste to everything around him just from the pressure of its immense power. That the power output he was feeling from its new form had not changed in the least, the fact that a little child's body now contained it left him stunned to incoherence.

He probably would have continued staring had not a geta pegged him in the face, and knocked him flat on his back. Holding his nose in pain, he sat up and grabbed the wooden shoe in his hand before tossing it back at the Kyuubi. "Where the hell did you get that?!?" Naruto demanded, his words coming out sounding off as his nose reset itself.

"**The same place I got this!"** The Kyuubi shouted at him as it slung clothing at Naruto, wrapping his head in the fabric. Naruto fought for a second as he tried to get his head free. **"Change me back, Dammit!"**

Naruto pulled his head free from the garments and looked at them with one hand held out to his side, as if the clothing was dangerous. The fact that he seemed to be holding clothing in his head was a bit confusing to him, added to that was the fact that he was holding was amounted to a kimono in reds and orange colors like that of flames really unnerved him.

"What the hell..." Naruto muttered before pointing to the clothes in his hands. "Put these on!"

"**I Refuse!"** Chibi-Kyuubi shouted, crossing its arms and turning around from him, showing Naruto that its back was also covered in fur and the backs of its legs as well, though its butt wasn't. There didn't even seem to be a tail on it.

"Hah! I knew this was some kinda trick!" Naruto shouted as he jumped to his feet, pointing at the kid. "If your the Kyuubi, where the hell is your tails, huh? Tell me that!"

The child body whipped around, cheeks bright red and absolutely livid. **"How dare you ogle my butt, you hentai! Staring at a little kids butt like some old letcher!"**

The second geta came flying out from the cage, hitting Naruto in the forehead and drawing blood from the blow, the shoe actually splitting in two from the impact. Naruto writhed on the ground in pain, holding his head before getting up and marching over toward the Kyuubi.

Kicking the cage in front of the Kyuubi as hard as he could, he shouted down into the unflinching face. "I asked you where the hell were your tails, you reject from an orphanage! I wasn't staring at your body! Why the hell would I be looking at your tiny body in that way in the first place?!?"

Kyuubi's anger spiked dangerously, and its power started to ripple around the child's form, growing larger and larger around it as Naruto shouted. He only stopped when he realized that the giant Fox form of Kyuubi was standing behind the child, all nine tails whipping back and forth. Naruto's eyebrow twitched at the ghostly form of the Kyuubi emanating from a child's body. Especially one that looked like it wanted to rip his head off.

"**Is that how you see it?"** Kyuubi's flat tone and ice dead stare pinned Naruto where he stood. The kid's hair was whipping around its body, even its fur was dancing in time to the caress of the Kyuubi's power. **"I've made my decision about you."** Kyuubi continued as it made its declaration. **"I've decided to keep you alive for as long as I possibly can with every scrap and fiber of my being. Death would be too easy for you, so I'm going to let you suffer for a very, very long time."**

Naruto stared down at the creature given flesh hatefully, uncaring if he was too close for his own safety. He hated the Kyuubi with every fiber of his being, and he wished to Kami that he had the power to kill it.

"**You might want to go back."** Kyuubi sneered at him. **"You have a guest."**

Naruto blinked as the world came back into focus, a hand waving in front of his face. Jerking back in fright, he shouts out as his heels hit the log behind him and he topples over onto his back. Moaning at the pain, he rubs his head as he looks up at the person in front of him. "Haku?" He asks as the blurry pink image wavers back into place.

"Are you OK, Naruto?" Haku offers her hand to him, smiling down at him. "I didn't mean to startle you, but you were staring off into somewhere and I was wondering if something was wrong."

Taking the offered hand, Haku helps Naruto to sit back up on the log as he shakes off the effects of falling over for a third time. "Haku, what the heck are you doing out here?"

Haku took a seat across the fire from him, placing her herb basket next to her. "I think your duck is finished cooking." she comments as she points to the food now starting to turn a dirty black color.

Making a distressed sound, Naruto pulls the duck back from the fire, blowing on it as he switches his hands over and over again to prevent from being burnt from the heat. Haku continues to giggle at him as he struggles to get his food under control. Taking out a kunal, Naruto sticks one in one side before stick a second in the other and lifts the duck up victoriously, earning him some clapping from Haku for his genius.

"Now how are you planning on eating it?" Haku asked as he looks at the duck, realizing that if he removes his hand from one side, the duck will tilt too far to stay on one of the kunai and fall off.

"I've never done this before. Give me a break." Naruto complained as he tried to take a strip of the duck off with his teeth, hissing as the heat from the meat singed his lips.

"You're supposed to take a rock and clean the dirt from it so that you can use it as a surface to place the food without having to hurt yourself." Haku pointed out to him, earning a frown from Naruto, which sent her back into giggles.

Naruto placed the meat on the log next to him, making sure the kunai wouldn't slip out while he was looking before he got up and walked over to Haku with a serious frown on his face. Haku was on edge as Naruto approached, and those nerves increased when he knelt down in front of her.

Reaching his hand up to trace her cheek, Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Who did this to you?" He asked softly, an iron edge hidden in his voice.

Haku turned her face from Naruto, embarrassed. "That's really none of your business, Naruto." She spoke gently to him, so as not to hurt his feelings. There was an awkward silence between the two of them as he crouched beside her before getting up and walking back over to the food.

He cut and stripped the food bit by bit, eating what he could while tossing the still raw bits back into the fire. Finished with his makeshift meal, he walked off and buried the bones away from his camp before coming back. He sits there, watching the flames and poking at the fire occasionally, coaxing it to burn a little longer while Haku continues to look away from him.

Once dark starts to set in, Naruto stands up quickly, drawing Haku's attention. "You're right, it is none of my business. " Naruto speaks to her before he kicks some loose dirt into the fire, killing whats left of the light. "I don't have to approve of it, though." Naruto starts walking off into the woods, making very little noise as he leaves Haku behind.

"Are you leaving already?" Haku asks him, making him stop as he looks over his shoulder at her.

"I have something I have to do." He answers her without elaborating.

"Are you going to come back?" Naruto managed to take another step before something in Haku's voice makes him look again back over his shoulder.

"I can't make any promises." Naruto answers before jumping off into the wilderness, leaving the girl behind him.

Haku frowns as she watches Naruto jump away from her into the forest. _"That's not the way back to Tazuna's..."_ she thinks to herself, wondering what Naruto has in store for tonight.

-

"They've been gone for too long." Sarutobi muttered around his pipe, worried. Staring out the window of his tower, he wondered what could have happened to Kakashi's squad that would prevent him from sending a messenger pigeon or something via a merchant. Any message that could have gone by foot should have been there by today, but the night had come, the city gates had closed, and there had been nothing. This was not like Kakashi at all.

A knock came to his door and without turning, Sarutobi answered it, ordering it for whoever to come into his office. As the door swung open, several Jounin walked in to the room, including two ANBU wearing their masks.

He waited until the doors closed before turning around and facing the assembled ninja in his office. "Thank you for coming at such short notice." He looked once more at everyone around him before he continued. "I have a problem that you may be able to help me with, one that involves fellow ninjas from our village."

He watched as Maito Gai shifted from his flamboyant attitude to his all business one. Kurenai also stood a little straighter, though his son, Asuma, seemed to slump a little where he stood. The two masked ANBU stayed exactly as they had come to rest, at ease with their hands kept plose to their weapons satchel.

"Team 7, Kakashi's team, has failed to report in." Sarutobi announced to all of them. Eyes continued to focus on him, waiting for his next words. "as you know, it is common practice to send some kind of word back to the village once a week for an average mission outside of the village. Although the time for this has barely lapsed, the circumstances for which we found two missing nin in our borders along the same travel plans as Team 7 indicates that they have intercepted hostile forces."

he stopped long enough for them to discuss things between themselves, but his ninja showed their professionalism by remaining silent and waiting for their Hokage to finish. "The fact that the mission they were sent on was a C Rank, there should have been no ninja along their pathway, which lead me to assume that they either found a roving band hoping for an easy source of money, or the mission was grossly uninformed. I am assuming the worst, that the mission was beyond their capabilities, and that Team 7 is in dire straits at this very moment."

Maito Gai stepped forward as the Hokage took a breath. "Sir, with all due respect, Team Gai requests to follow after Team Kakashi and to aid Team 7, or to rescue any survivors of their squad!"

Sarutobi raised his hand, motioning for Gai to stand down for a moment. "Before anyone else volunteers for this mission, I need to inform you of a few other things as well." He waited for Gai to step back before he continued. "because the enemies were from Kiri, there may be others looking for their employer, one Momochi Zabuza."

The ANBU looked at each other before turning to look back at their Hokage, Asuma winced before he started rubbing at the back of his head. Kurenai frowned darkly at the Hokage, but not because he did something wrong, and Gai shifting in place, itching to speak again.

"If you volunteer, I do not want your squads to be going." Sarutobi announced, making Gai wince. Both Kurenai and Asuma didn't move, their decisions already made for them. "Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, what is your decision?"

Asuma stepped forward first. "I'd like to offer aid to Kakashi's squad," Asuma began, getting a surprised look from Kurenai, "However, when taking on Team 10, I couldn't, in good faith, abandon my team to someone else. I regretfully decline."

Kurenai frowned a little before stepping up, taking Asuma's place. "I wish I could help them as well, and if you so ordered it, I would without question, but my team must come before another's. I decline as well."

Gai looked split in his decision before he bowed deeply to Sarutobi. "I must also decline this great offer, Hokage-sama. If I could take my team, I would go immediately."

Sarutobi nodded, expecting this. "Because it is a former Seven Swordsman of the Mist, I will not rish any other academy students, nor will I allow anyone under Chuunin to go on this mission. Thank you for at least listening to an old man complain to you about his problems. Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, you are dismissed."

All three bowed their heads to the Hokage before using the Shunshin away from the Hokage's room. Sighing, he looked over to the two ANBU left. "I'm afraid that it is down to you, Yuugao. Yamato can't go with you due to circumstances I can't tell you about, so..."

Yuugao removed her cat mask and Yamato removed his blank one. Crossing her arms in front of herself, Yuugao looked at the Hokage seriously. "Who will I be getting for my support team?"

Sarutobi placed a folder on the table, to which Yuugao walked over and picked it up, flipping it open to the first person. "You'll need a tracker to find what has happened to Team Kakashi. Fortunately, she was available, and the Inuzuka have given their support behind this emergency retrieval mission."

"Inuzuka Hana, huh?" Yuugao didn't know her personally, but her personnel report was impressive, even in ANBU. Her team of dogs were the best set of tracks that she could possibly find, it would make tracking them down easier on her. As she flipped the page to the next teammate, Yuugao sputtered. "Please, tell me this is a joke, Hokage-sama! Anyone but her!"

"Yuugao-san." Yamato spoke quietly, and Yuugao collected herself quickly.

"Forgive my outburst, Hokage-sama. It was completely inexcusable." She bowed to the Hokage, who nodded to her.

"I understand why you think that she will be a bigger problem than an aid, but if you are dealing with Zabuza, then I want someone who can watch your back for any other surprises that are out there. We don't need a killing field that the Mizukage can point at Konoha and start a new War." Sarutobi put his pipe into his mouth and inhaled slowly, settling himself.

"Do they know?" Yuugay asked, placing her mask onto her face as she replaced the folder down on the Hokage's desk.

"They are waiting for you at the west gates." Sarutobi told her firmly. "The guards have orders to let you through upon your arrival." Yuugao bowed in front of her Hokage, preparing to leave, before feeling the old man's hand on her shoulder. Looking up into his face, his eyes pleaded with her. "As an old man, I'm asking you, bring whatever you find of them back."

Pride well up in her chest as she bowed once more. "Hai!" She shouted as she initiated Shunshin, leaving as fast as she could.

"I should have been the one to go, Hokage-sama." Yamato said calmly, speaking frankly with the old man.

Sarutobi nodded as he turned back to the window. "I know, Yamato. But if the worst has happened, it would already be too late for you to do anything about it."

-

"If you're here, I can only assume that this mission is going to be dangerous." Hana remarked, Sanae and Kanae laying in the street before her while Mikoto sat by her side. She eyed her teammate with a considering look while she finished tying down a loose spot on her combat vest.

"That's so mean of you to say that." Anko whined, biting on the tip of her thumb. "it's not like I cause trouble just because I can."

"Actually, that's exactly what I thought it was." Hana replied, watching Anko slump where she stood. "I've heard things about you, and I'd like to know what the truth is."

"What does it matter?" Anko snapped, turning her back on Hana, her trench coat whirling with her body. "It's not like anyone cares what I say, just as long as I'm not seen or heard."

"Well, if that's the way you want to be about it, that is your business." Hana shrugged as she leaned up against the side of a building. "We Inuzuka like to make our own minds up about people, so we tend to listen first before we make assumptions."

"Really..." Anko looked over her shoulder at Hana. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself then? Just to give me an example."

"As an example, huh?" How best to set off the snake woman... "I've slept with Naruto in my room at least 5 times this year alone."

She couldn't have hoped for a better reaction from Anko as killer intent whipped around her. Her coat actually started to billow around her as malevolence started to seep into everything. Anko's hands were both holding kunai's in them in a second as she continued to let her k.i. rise.

"You've...SLEPT...with NARUTO?!?" Anko looked over her shoulder at Hana, a crazed look in her eye. It even looked for a second like her tongue had come out and licked her cheek, though that might have been an illusion due in part to the killer intent rippling around her.

"Not just me..." Hana smiled saucily as Anko's hair started to twist in the wind. "My dogs have slept with him as well. Why do you think he's always welcome at the Inuzuka compound?"

The kunai in Anko's hands dropped from her boneless grip, clattering to the stones at her feet. Anko's killer intent was totally gone, as if it had never existed. She was turned around, looking at Hana with pinpricks for eyes as she glanced first at Hana, then at her three dogs. Smoke started to come out of Anko's ears as her brain overheated.

"You should see it when Sanae and Naruto 'play'." Hana insinuated. "She really likes it when Naruto is a little rough with her." Sanae's ear pricked up as her name was mentioned and she sat up from where she had been laying on the ground. Whining up at Hana, her Master was kind enough to kneel down and scratch behind her ears. "I know, baby. I miss our little 'fox' as well."

Anko tilted her head back and yelled out a long protracted "Nooooo!" to the night as her dreams of deflowering the blond fox had been taken from her. Even worse, he was into dogs.

"What the hell is going on out here?!?" Yuugao shouted at a bawling Anko and a laughing Inuzuka Hana as tears were rolling down both of their eyes, but for different reasons. "On second thought, never mind. You two are joining me on this mission, so get your acts together!"

"We..." Hana hiccuped as she tried to calm down. "We have our orders then?"

"We do." Yuugao was staring a hole through the sniffling Anko, who looked to of just had her favorite toy taken away from her. "Hokage-sama has given us an immediate retrieval mission. Team Kakashi is missing. The orders are to find out what happened, and bring back survivors."

Hana's face dropped into seriousness upon the recognition of the team, even Anko managed to stop sniffling. "Naruto's in trouble?" She asked, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"We are to find them and bring them home." "_If anyone is left alive."_ Yuugao thought to herself as Anko picked up the kunai from the ground and slid them away in her sleeves. "There's a possibility that we'll encounter resistance, so we must travel slower than necessary to make sure we are not seen. The orders are to track, but evade all resistance." Motioning the the gate guard, the Chuunin hurried and opened a small doorway meant for sneaking out or in for small contingents. "Hana, show us the path."

"Right." Hana nodded as she looked to her teammates. "Sanae, Kanae, Mikoto. Find the fox. Go!"

The three specially trained dogs scented the ground and the air before heading off together in the same direction, closely followed by their human counterpart and her teammates.

-

Naruto returned to the camp he had sat at earlier, a hunk of cheese in his hand as he landed nearby. Haku jerked her head up, looking over at Naruto with suspicion before calming down and waving him over to her. Coming over to her, he bent down next to her and watched as she pulled herbs by the light of the moon.

"Did you manage to complete your mission?" Haku asked quietly as Naruto took another bite of cheese in his hand.

Naruto nodded, chewing on the mouthful of food. "It wasn't easy, but I managed to complete it. It should help the villagers some, when they wake up in the morning."

"The morning?" Haku asked him as she plucked at an herb, shaking the dew off gently before placing it in her basket.

"It's...kinda a surprise for everyone." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, realizing too late that he just rubbed cheese into his head. Haku giggled at him before continuing to pick at the plants. "How can you tell the difference?" Haku looked up at him, and Naruto blushed. "I know you told me earlier, but they look exactly the same to me."

Haku took his hand in hers and guided him down to the herb she was picking. "Do you feel the stem?" she asked him, waiting for him to find out for himself. He stared blankly at her, and she figured out that he didn't understand. "The thing holding the herb up from the ground." Naruto's eyes widened before he nodded to her. Taking his hand again, she moved it over to a weed that looked like the herb. "Feel this one." She directed, watching as his face crinkled.

"It feels rougher." Naruto muttered out loud.

Haku nodded to him. "That's one of the differences. There are a few other differences, but feel is usually a good indication of what is a healing plant, and what is a common plant. There are a few exceptions to that rule, but generally that's how it is." she plucked up the herb she had shown him before moving over a little to the next one.

Naruto watched her for a bit longer, working under the light of the moon as her hair seemed to shine with its light. "Haku." He called to her, seeing her tilt her head in his direction before he continued. "How can you tell when you've found your special someone?"

Haku hesitated, reaching out for the next herb as she thought about how to answer Naruto. She couldn't tell him how she had known the moment that Zabuza had told her to come with him. "I guess the best way to know is when your heart aches." She replied to him, continuing with her work.

"Your heart?" Naruto asked, looking more confused than ever.

Haku nodded. "Try to think of someone in your life, someone that you've met, even someone that you'd like to meet. Then try to imagine not being able to live without that person in your life."

Naruto thought about the Hokage, and could feel his chest pinch just like Haku described when he thought about losing the old man. He tried his sensei, and didn't feel the same pinch, though it did ache somewhat. He tried his team, the people from the academy, Hana, Anko, Tsume, the little Hyuuga that dropped him off Hokage Monument... He tried as many people as he could think of.

When he couldn't think of anymore from Konoha, he thought about Haku, the mark on Haku's face, how kind Haku had been to him, even how he had surprised Haku several times when he didn't mean to. He could feel the beginnings of a pinch in his chest for the girl in the pink kimono.

"Haku." Naruto called to her, hearing an acknowledging tone from her. "If my special person is in danger, will I become strong?"

Haku smiled as she looked up at Naruto. "I think you'll be the strongest, Naruto. Even stronger than me."

* * *

**Is that not cute or what?!?**


	15. Gathering of the Storm

**This is it, folks. The beginning of the end starts here! In one, maybe two chapters, The End of the Wave Arc! I have finally made my decision concerning Kyuubi's gender, and although Hermaphrodite not only sounds fine for something that's never possessed a body before, that's just not going to happen. I've yet to see a hermaphrodite Kyuubi in any story, and I'm not going to break ground on that section. Kyuubi will have a definite Gender, and it is hinted at in here.**

**Disclaimer: STAMPEDE!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**G.B.: One personal note that should be addressed here. I am considering the Wave Arc to be a turning point in this fic. As such, the rating will change on the next chapter pushing what is a borderline story into the M category. I'm sorry, but we're moving into areas now where I've aged them enough to begin exploring things about themselves, let alone the language and graphic violence that will be written about here. If I feel inspired enough, I will think about writing a lime or two. If Relationships reach a point that I think deserves Lemons, they will not be on . I will let you know when this is necessary...

* * *

**

"Blah" - Normal Speech

_"Blah?"_ - Thoughts or Inner Monologuing

**"BLAH!"** Kyuubi/Inner Sakura Rants

**"Blah no Jutsu!!!"** - Jutsu casting

* * *

"I'm sorry, Tazuna" Chokei spoke sadly to the old bridge builder. "You know Gatou is going to retaliate for having his food stolen from him. He'll just take it out on us bridge builders that much more."

Tazuna eyed his 'friend'. He had known since watching Kaiza die in the street that the village had been a broken wreck, never being able to reconcile the man's death on their guilt ridden minds, but to watch them glance in longing at Chokei who had the 'courage' to stand up and tell Tazuna that the village's only hope would get them hurt...

"If that's how you feel about it, then don't come back." Tazuna stepped past him, so that he didn't have to look at the man who had once been his 'friend'. Looking at the rest of them, they turned his stomach with their hopelessness. "In fact, anyone else who feels the same should leave right now. Don't bother coming back, you're help ain't necessary."

"Listen to reason, Tazuna!" Chokei had turned around, trying to grab the old man's shoulder to stop him as he walked off to one of the piles of supplies. "You can't build this bridge by yourself!"

"I've built plenty of bridges by myself." Tazuna stated as he lifted a bag of concrete over his shoulder, walking away from the supplies to head toward a mixer. "One more won't make any difference."

"Fine, you crazy old man!" Chokei yelled at him, pointing an accusing finger at Tazuna. "Get yourself and your family killed for nothing! I won't have that happen to my family!"

Chokei was already walking off as Tazuna called out. "So letting your family suffer under a tyrant is preferable to having them live free. You disgust me." Tazuna watched as the man continued to stomp off, heading back into town.

Naruto watched it all in silence. It wasn't his job to make the man stay and help build the bridge for his village, though he wondered if any more of the men were going to run off. He thought that their spirits would have been higher after raiding one of the mercenary bands of their food to feed the village, the Kyuubi's Chakra helping him sneak in to the camp and back out without being seen. Frowning after the person, he had to wonder how many other people spoke like that one man yet didn't have the guts to come out and say it.

"Naruto." Tazuna called out to the little blond ninja, getting his attention. "If you have some way of contacting your friends, let them know that we're going to be late tonight making up the work for that guy." Tazuna gestured off after the retreating man, who had long left sight.

Naruto blinked. They were going to be late? Naruto frowned as he looked at the sky. They had a lot of sunlight left in the air, they had just started working on the bridge after all. Shrugging, Naruto walked over next to Tazuna and stopped the old man as he struggled to lift another bag of concrete mix. "Would you like some help?" Naruto asked, looking at him seriously.

Tazuna frowned at the blond ninja before nodding. "I could use a whole lot of help right now. Understaffed and demoralized, we might finish in the time I told you guys about when we got here, but now..."

Naruto nodded as he made a cross shaped hand seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Rapid fire popping sounds and clouds of smoke briefly obscured the bridge, halting the workers as they looked around in fear of what might be a sneak attack fro ma vengeful Gatou. Instead, their eyes popped open in shock as several tens of Naruto's stood in front of Tazuna. "Is this enough, or do you need more?" Naruto asked, waving his hands at himself.

Tazuna blinked at the sea of blond hair. Wondering why he never thought of this before, he smiled at the blond haired ninja. "That's going to help a lot. Just give me a second to reorganize everyone."

Naruto watched him walk off, shouting orders and shifting men as he gestured for one of his clones to head off back toward Tazuna's house. Wouldn't hurt to let Kakashi know what he was up to before the man got worried, after all.

* * *

"N-Naruto's m-missing?" Hinata Hyuga rubbed her hands over and over again in worry, her face upset. Both of her teammates were agitated at the news that one of their Genin squads had gone incommunicado on their first ever C Rank mission that looked to have been misfiled into something else, something they were totally out of their depth in handling.

Asuma looked at Kurenai and shrugged at her as his own squad eyed each other in confusion. She wanted to let them know about getting in over their heads and most likely being overwhelmed on a mission that seemed one thing, but was a whole other kind of difficulty altogether. As far as he was concerned, his team wouldn't ever do something dangerous, the last war had been all the reason he needed to keep his team as 'Human' as possible.

Kurenai frowned briefly at Asuma, leaving her the responsible one. She felt both teams needed to hear this so that they had a wake up call in reality that whole teams had gone missing during simple missions. Shino and Team 10 were taking it well, though Hinata looked to be near tears. Kiba, however...

"Probably the Dobe's fault. I don't see how the impressive Rookie of the Year could possibly screw a mission up that badly." Kiba snorted, not feeling the sudden and imminent death that was being glared into the back of his head from Hinata.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Shikamaru spoke up, surprising his team as he laid out in the middle of the grass nearby by himself, his hands behind his head as he cloud watched. "People act different out in the field than in the village, where its really life or death out there."

"So you're saying that Naruto ran away?" Kiba could feel something cold behind him, but he shrugged it off as he shook his head. "I guess it's possible."

"Naruto wouldn't run away." Chouji grunted from behind his hand before eating the chips in it. There was a lot that wouldn't surprise him if he heard that Naruto had done it, but running away wasn't something he'd ever heard Naruto do. Chouji missed eating at Ichiraku with the blond boy, and the vendors were missing him as well.

Kiba went to speak again about the fault's of Naruto when Ino raised both of her hands in front of herself and aimed them at Kiba. "One more word out of you, dog breath, and I'll see what happens when I try my newest jutsu on you."

"Ino." Asuma gave her a warning tone that she dismissed. "We don't attack fellow villagers."

"It's not an attack until I actually use the jutsu, right sensei?" Ino smiled, making Kiba nervous as he shifted in place.

"We just wanted you to understand what it meant when a mission goes south and what happens to those you leave behind you." Kurenai watched Ino carefully as she continued to hold her stance, wondering if she would go through with it and if she'd let Kiba suffer for a bit. Might do his pride some good to be taken down a rung or two. "I expect my team to go home after training today to discuss these matters with your ninja relatives and find ways to increase the odds of survival out in the field, understood?"

Hinata nodded, her face serious instead of the usual timid mask she wore all the time. Kiba scoffed before grunting his acknowledgement. Shino merely nodded, though the boy seemed to have relaxed slightly from how he stood.

"With that said.." Asuma gathered up his team and started them off toward their training ground. He looked back over his shoulder at Kurenai, a light smile on his face. "When training is over, do you have some free time, Kurenai? I think we need to talk about some things."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at Asuma. They had kept their relations to each other strictly professional, even though she had thought him a decent enough person. Giving it a moment's thought, she nodded. "After practice."

* * *

"Well, it will mean fewer opportunities for you to refine your Chakra control." Kakashi thought as he watched Sasuke and Sakura making laps up the tree before jumping back off. Eying Sakura for a moment, Kakashi smiled before coming to a decision. "Sakura, come over here for a second."

Sakura was just about to head back up the tree when Kakashi called her over to him. Giving Naruto a considering eye, she headed over to her sensei, waiting for him to give her instructions.

"We're going to be focusing you on the physical aspect of building your Chakra until the end of the mission." Kakashi eye smiled at the pinkette as she got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Glancing at Naruto, who was looking at Kakashi in curiosity, she got the feeling that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. "I've just been told that Tazuna needs some help with the workers on the bridge, so you'll be assisting him with that."

"But Kakashi-sensei, what about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura glanced over at the boy that made her feel giddy and oh so happy as he continued to work, tireless in his dedication.

"Sasuke needs a little bit more time to get his control down, which you don't." Kakashi admonished the pinkette lightly, glancing over at the obsessed boy and worrying a little. He had been like that once, though he had been a little like Naruto too, before his first C Rank mission. "What you need is physical training, and you know it."

Responding despondently, Sakura slumped where she stood, looking dejected at the thought of being away from her Sasuke-kun and actually working a sweat up. She was going to be so sweaty afterwards, and she was going to smell funny too, she just knew it. How was she going to woo Sasuke looking and smelling of dirt?

"Naruto, make sure she doesn't train herself to exhaustion." Kakashi nodded to the blond, who glanced at his teammate with a frown on his face.

"Wait a minute, are you telling Naruto to watch out for me?" Sakura demanded, pointing an offended finger at her teammate. **"Abandoned to the blond dork, you traitor Baka Kakashi!"**

"You're not going to be fit for guard duty tiring yourself out daily, and with Naruto helping Tazuna out with his clones, it'll be easier to keep one guard on Tazuna at all times as you two switch off. I still want Naruto to get as much Chakra training in as he can, only using the supplies on the bridge instead of a tree." Kakashi turned his smile to Naruto, who was suddenly feeling like a bug under a microscope. "I want you to wear gloves when you work, and pick everything up with your Chakra, I don't want you gripping anything, is that understood?"

Naruto slumped as well, though in defeat instead. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

"This is where the fight took place." Hana muttered as her Haimaru Sankyodai searched the ground carefully.

Yuugao could see it as well, a few spots of discolored ground where some blood had changed the pigmentation of the hard packed road, one particular spot where the ground had dried unevenly with the rest of it. There weren't very many signs left of the fight, but Hana and her team weren't here for a sight seeing trip. "Any chance you can tell if any of the team was hurt?" Yuugao asked, her ANBU mask left back in Konoha so that her identity as an elite wouldn't leak out to the wrong people if she ever got unmasked during combat.

Anko stared hard at the way they had come and the way ahead of them. She could have been here sooner, she could have gotten her hands around Kakashi's neck and wrung him for all he was worth. She could have made sure that Naruto would never be hurt anymore, if only she hadn't listened to the professional in her and followed her instincts. She shuddered at that thought, as it reminded her of her first teacher.

"No way to know for sure." Hana muttered as she stood up, too faint to tell if any of Team 7 was hurt, but it's close enough to Konoha to believe that no one was injured enough to go back. "I'd have to say that most of the blood is the two ninja the ANBU found out here." Hana looked over at Anko and smirked as she continued. "We'll have to move away from this blood scent, there's too much mixed together to tell if anyone is hurt."

Mikoto wandered off to the side before stopping, her hackles rising as she found a new scent that disturbed her. Growling, it drew the attention of the other two dogs and the three ninja as Mikoto worked herself into a mean frenzy.

"You wanna translate that for us, dog lady?" Anko wanted to call her something else for stealing her fishcake's innocence. Right now, however, it was more important to make sure he was alright.

"Mikoto!" Hana snapped as the largest dog tried to dart off toward Wave. As her other two partners scented the ground where Mikoto had, they also began to work themselves into a fit. "Sanae! Kanae! Enough!"

"You wanna explain that to me?" Yuugao asked, irritated that this was taking so long. She'd never been on a tracking team before, and this rushing to wait and waiting to rush was starting to bug her.

"One of Team 7 stood off to the side from the rest of the blood." Hana pushed back some of the grass, looking down at the ground. "Looks like they bled a little, not a major wound, though."

"Is it Naruto?!?" Anko asked, kunai out and ready to eviscerate someone if she got the wrong answer.

"How is she supposed to know that?" Yuugao asked Anko, becoming really frustrated with the love struck kunoichi. Any more weirdness out of her and she was going to kick Anko's butt straight.

"We're going to be picking up the pace some." Hana's features started turning slightly feral like her mothers as her hair started to spike out. Her eyes narrowed into chips of onyx as she glared off toward Wave.

"We are not to engage with enemy ninja!" Yuugao reminded the Inuzuka woman as Hana began to chase after her team. Annoyance wafted off Yuugao as Anko followed in hot pursuit, leaping after the now in hot pursuit Hana. Sighing, she followed after them before falling too far behind. Some days, it sucked being the responsible one.

* * *

Over the next few nights, Haku encountered Naruto as he cooked his meal. She still kept her guard u around him, never sure if he was alone or not. She even took the chance after the first night to leave a sheet of ice nearby for her to escape away into should it become necessary. She wasn't going to lead anyone back to Zabuza-sama, not even Naruto.

They did something both of them hadn't done since they could last remember. They talked. Sometimes they talked about their pasts to one another, though being as vague as possible about certain events, but they had someone they could tell their mind to that would listen without making any kind of decision about them afterwards.

To Naruto, this was the greatest gift he could ever have. Kakashi and Yamato had tried to be his friend, even after they had been taken off his guard detail, but the age difference was too great. How could you be a friend with someone who thought they had lived a life as hard or harder than the one you lived yourself? Yes, they did see how the village turned him into a scapegoat that they constantly tried to serve up on a bloody alter to appease their anger and loss, but Naruto had been the offering that would have killed Yamato and Kakashi several times over.

Iruka was a little closer, but also not on the same level as Haku was to him. He was a surrogate brother to him, but could never be the father he wanted more than even his friendship with Haku. Everyone had parents, otherwise, there would be no children. Even if his parents spat on him and threw him to the villagers of Konoha, at least then he would know for certain that they had hated him, or loved him, or something!

Haku had known her parents, and had grown up for the first few years with love and kindness, all the things that a child got from their loved ones, then her father had found out about her hidden bloodline that her mother had never shown to the patriot of their country. There was no warning when her mother had been knifed in the back by the smiling, loving visage of her father, who was even smiling as he approached Haku with the bloodied knife. She didn't want to die, so she did the only thing a child could do.

She Reacted.

"Haku, you're daydreaming again." Naruto called her back to reality and from the pain of those nightmares. She smiled her thanks to him as Naruto poked at the bonfire. "I wish things didn't have to end." Naruto sighed, already missing Haku even though the mission wasn't over yet.

"It sounds like you're planning on going away somewhere." Haku smiled to him as she watched him poke at the fire listlessly. "You're not seeing someone, are you?"

Naruto winced, wishing Haku wouldn't poke fun at his social life. "We're going to be leaving soon." Haku sat up straighter at Naruto's declaration. "Maybe in two days."

The bridge was almost complete? Why didn't Gatou say anything to them about it being near completion?!? Zabuza-sama wanted his revenge on Kakashi for nearly slaying him, but he especially wanted it on Naruto for starting his loss in the first place. "When will you leave?" Haku asked, her voice shaky with emotion.

"After the bridge is finished." Naruto tossed the stick into the fire, not liking this conversation at all. "Once it's complete, we're leaving the next day."

She needed to head back to Zabuza-sama. She needed to go now before they made their escape. "I see." She spoke slow and hesitantly.

Naruto and Haku didn't know what to say or do for a moment, and the silence just made the atmosphere around them feel heavier and heavier. Finally, Naruto couldn't resist, knowing that his time was nearly finished with Haku. "Haku, are you my friend?"

"Eh?" Haku looked up at Naruto, completely unprepared for the question. She had known Naruto for less that a week, and he was asking her if he was her friend? "Don't you think so?"

Naruto gave her a weak smile as he tilted his face down toward the fire. "I don't want this to be just a dream, some mixed up thing in my head that I have a friend that actually does understand me. Just...." Naruto sighed before shaking his head. "Never mind, forget I asked..."

Haku watched him, looking at the abject hurt he was emitting to her. She had seen pain and misery in their victims before, she had seen people die in brutal ways, but she'd never seen anyone as lost as Naruto looked to her right then. Getting up, she walked around the fire before sitting down next to a slightly surprised Naruto. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her as she kissed his forehead.

"Yes, Naruto, you are my dear friend." Haku whispered in his ear as she laid her head against his shoulder. Knowing what was to come, she could only think of one thing as she continued to hold him. _"Please, let it be Zabuza-sama that kills him. I don't know if I could..."

* * *

_

Kakashi continued his rep of push ups even as Tsunami sat between his shoulder blades. He wasn't straining himself, and his Chakra felt strong to him, though it was still a little low, but he'd be back to full power tomorrow. He really let himself go since leaving ANBU, he wouldn't have been down for this long if he was still with his old team.

"Are you sure you should be exerting yourself, Kakashi-san?" Tsunami asked as the masked ninja continued to pump away.

"I need to get back into shape." Kakashi calmly explained as he held his extended arms out, allowing Tsunami to get off of him before he got to his feet. He checked himself over once more before coming to the conclusion that his days of slacking off were over. From now on, it would be hard work and nothing but Guts for him. He mentally slapped himself for channeling Gai for a moment before pulling his little orange book out and headed for the door. "Thank you for the assistance, Tsunami-san. I need to check on my team now. Thank you for your help in getting me back to full strength."

She stood stunned as she watched Kakashi leave out the front door, blind to the world except for his book.

* * *

"And he said that the bridge would be completed in about a day or two?" Zabuza asked as he sat on the couch in his hideout, staring a hole through his only subordinate.

Haku shifted in place as Zabuza played with an apple in his left hand, turning it in a slow orbit with his fingers as he watched Haku. "He wasn't sure if it would be completed today or tomorrow, but he definitely said that they would be leaving the day after the completion of the bridge."

He sat up straighter, feeling his muscles protesting his movements, but feeling almost as good as new. His back itched like hell, but as long as he didn't use his Chakra much, it wouldn't make a difference if the kid had burned him or given him a love tap. "We're moving out tomorrow morning." Haku nodded as she began to make plans to head out. "One other thing." Zabuza commented before Haku could head off. "I want you to slow down your little blond friend."

Haku froze, not looking at Zabuza's face. "Slow down, Zabuza-sama?"

"If he shows up, I want him to see the dead bodies of his team first before he dies." Zabuza held out the apple in his left hand before straining a little, the apple pulping in his grip. "Make sure to kill him slowly when he arrives, Haku."

Haku hesitated, not daring to speak. "Hai, Zabuza-sama." She turned and walked off, not looking back at her master, who was still staring at her in suspicion.

* * *

Naruto sweat as he picked up the crate before him with his thick work gloves. Following the orders Kakashi gave him, he didn't grip from the bottom, but tried to use his Chakra to grip hold of the box through the material over his hands. It was almost as difficult as the tree climbing exercise, except that his hands were a lot easier to use Chakra with. The problem had come from using too much and blowing the pads of the gloves off, making them useless for the job entailed.

Still, even with the trouble he was having, it was nothing compared to Sakura. Looking over at his pink haired teammate, he watched as her arms shook with fatigue and her legs wobbled as her muscles protested. She was at the end of her strength, pushing herself beyond her physical limits and looked like she was going to drop at a moment's notice.

She had been relegated to a position away from everyone else after two hours of work, and they were quickly coming up on four. The problem wasn't that she was unwilling to help out, on the contrary, it was that she was trying to help out too much. When her strength started flagging, she started to get clumsy, and that had moved her from moving supplies and tools to the workers to preparing said supplies to be doled out by Naruto's clones.

As the noon hour approached, Tazuna gave the order for everyone to break for lunch, bringing a temporary halt to the workers. Sakura dropped where she worked, foregoing dignity just to sit down and let her muscles recuperate. Naruto placed the crate he and a clone had been carrying down on the ground before Naruto gave the mental command for his clones to disperse.

Naruto had learned that first day using all those clones for physical labor that they didn't truly tire like a normal person would. However, once a clone popped from 'exhaustion' all of it's misery would go to Naruto, though not in the physical sense. His body could be as fresh as if he had just woken up from last night's rest and have a fully worked clone popping out from working itself into the ground, and you had a fresh Naruto who felt like he had just gone through exactly what the clone had.

"Need some help?" Naruto asked, even as the backlash of all those clones poured into him. He wanted to wince from a clone's pulled back muscle, but hid it for the time being.

"Some water, please?" Sakura begged as she crawled over next to the crate Naruto had just put down. She leaned back against it and simply rested, letting the sun's rays and the quiet sound of the water under the bridge relax her until Naruto's shadow brought her back to reality, and the sweet nectar of a cold cup of water in a tin cup was taken from him before being tossed down her throat.

Naruto watched her suck down her cup quickly, spilling some down her cheek as she tried to inhale the liquid. Making sure she wasn't about to choke, he sat down on his own side of the crate and rolled his tin cup back and forth in his hands. He watched as the workers opened their lunches and dug in next to their tools, simply sitting down where they worked and eating food that had been brought to the m in the middle of the night nearly a week past. A few got up and stretched their legs, having been stuck in one spot or position for so long as to make them feel like the concrete they were molding into their 'hope'.

They didn't look at him like they did in Konoha, most likely cause they didn't know who he was, or what he contained. They asked for help, for a tool that they needed, or some piece of material for their section of the bridge, simply waiting for someone to be kind enough to get them what they needed, and they thanked them before going right back to working without bothering to know who they were working with. It unnerved him slightly, being an unknown face in the crowd, and yet he was content to be no one important for once in his life.

He would miss them, when it came time to leave. Especially Haku, his only friend. Still, he wished there could have been some time before becoming a ninja that he could have come here and been a part of this.

Sakura looked at the cup in her hand, picking out the imperfections in the metal, trying to get her head on straight. She glanced over at Naruto as he began to hum an old song from when she had been a child, one she had almost forgotten with that more innocent time. She frowned slightly, realizing for the first time ever that she really and truly didn't know the boy sitting next to her at all.

"What are you humming?" Sakura asked him, making him jerk in surprise and look at her in confusion. He went to answer her as his eyes slipped out of focus, his mind seeming to disengage from everything around him before he shook himself and shrugged to Sakura.

"Hey, Naruto..." she began, then stopped as his eyes focused in at something in front of him. "Kakashi sensei told us a little bit about your past." Naruto grimaced at that and his eyes once again darkened with whatever thoughts passed through his mind. "You really didn't have any friends?"

Naruto stopped humming, blinking once as he sighed. "After you and Ino came over to my home, both of you learned from the villagers about the Uchiha massacre." Naruto chuckled softly as a realization hit him. "Now that I think back on it, even though it was the greatest thing in the world to me at the time, my place really did suck, didn't it?"

Sakura vaguely remembered Naruto's apartment. She had only seen the inside of it that one time.

"Sure beat living out in the street." Naruto whispered halfheartedly as he sipped from his cup.

Sakura stared at him, stunned. "Kakashi sensei didn't say anything about that." Naruto simply hummed, as if his living the life of a vagabond hadn't been all that note worthy. She got a disturbed feeling as she continued to ask him questions during his melancholic mood. "He did mention that you killed someone once."

She could have been mistaken, but she would have sworn she saw Naruto's eyes flash into a different color before snapping back to his sky blue eyes. The level of malice and anger floating off Naruto started to become palpable.

"It's alright, Naruto. I was just curious." Sakura waved her hand in front of her, trying to calm Naruto down by pretending she wasn't curious.

Sighing, Naruto deflated where he sat, the anger that had washed over him slipping away. "Not your fault, Sakura." Naruto muttered as he glanced over at his teammate. "It's just... thinking about that person's death reminds me about what the people back in Konoha call me daily."

Sakura looked at him curiously. She never noticed anything out of the ordinary when she was with Naruto. Thinking back on when they were together, she began to realize that the only time she had been with Naruto was when they were together in their team, which meant that Kakashi was with them, along with Sasuke. In fact, the villagers seemed to ignore everyone but Sasuke when they were together.

"Are the people really that bad to you?" She wanted to take back her words the moment she said them, forgetting their indoctrination into being Ninjas after failing Kakashi-sensei's bell test. She dully remembered sitting in the Hokage's room, waiting for her teammate who never showed due to having been crucified in an alley and left for dead.

"They love me to death." Naruto smiled, though it wasn't because of happiness. His face was set firmly in his squinty eyed mask.

"Naruto, I-" She didn't get to finish as Tazuna came up to them, hands placed on his hips as he stood over them.

"You guys ready to go?" Tazuna asked, looking down at them in concern.

Naruto stood up quickly, dusting his pant legs off as he took the work gloves from his back pockets and put them back on, ready to continue his training. Sakura took a moment to get to her feet before nodding to Tazuna, handing him her cup. She glanced at Naruto, wondering about him even as he made the cross shaped hand sign she was coming to think as his personal signature move.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

**

"**That was kind of creepy."** Kyuubi muttered as Naruto set up the pile of wood for his camp once again. **"Since when has she ever been concerned about you?"**

The sun was going down over the treetops, leaving the grassy area in a red hue while he rubbed one stick against a log, spinning it back and forth in his hands as fast as he could. He could have used the Kyuubi's Chakra to ignite the wood, but there were some things you had to learn through hard work. Also, his hands had Chakra burns on them that inflamed whenever he pushed Chakra through them more than necessary.

"What was up with you singing a nursery rhyme?" Naruto audibly spoke, not feeling like thinking to the Kyuubi. He was simply too tired for such things.

"**I'm bored."** Kyuubi whined in his head, making Naruto stumble and breaking the stick in him hands from his body weight. **"There's nothing to do in here."**

Naruto shuddered, feeling a creepy something run up his back as he reached for a new stick to use. "You do realize that you're not supposed to feel bored, right?" Naruto asked aloud.

Kyuubi sniffed, and he got the feeling of annoyance from the tailed beast inside of him. **"Now maybe you'll believe me when I say that I'm becoming Human?"**

"Trust me, seeing you wearing a kimono disturbs me greatly." Naruto shivered, remembering the distinct feel of geta being thrown into his head

"**Like hell I'll wear those skins on my form."** Kyuubi snorted disdainfully. **"What ever made you apes ever decide to wear dead skins over your body anyways? There's something unnatural about it all."**

"This coming from a creature that's never had a natural form to begin with." Naruto blew on the spot that was starting to smoke from the wood, coaxing it to light without blowing the heat off from where friction was doing its job. Naruto hitched at a disgusting thought passed his mind. "Exactly where do you go to the bathroom at?"

The silence stretched as Naruto waited for an answer from the Kyuubi that wasn't forthcoming. Naruto's eye twitched fiercely as he continued to wait, which wasn't long until he exploded. "That is so disgusting!!!" he shouted, the Kyuubi's aura manifesting around Naruto in outrage.

"**Did you happen to see a bathroom in here with me?!? I'd hardly know what a bodily function was if it wasn't for the fact that I've watched you for years now!"** Kyuubi ranted back at him, its anger doubling Naruto's. **"I had to figure out for myself exactly why I don't have some parts like you, OK?!?"**

Naruto stopped cold, forgetting the log in front of him. What the hell did the Kyuubi mean by not having some parts like him? The Kyuubi was human like him, there should have been the very same parts to him as every other human.

"**And that right there proves it that monkeys are some kind of aberration to sentient life. You probably killed off the smarter races by sheer stupidity."** Kyuubi mocked him.

Naruto found himself in front of the Kyuubi's cell under his own power, radiating raw anger. He didn't notice the shocked look on the child like Kyuubi's face as he seethed in anger. "You better tell me what the hell you're talking about before I..."

"**Before you what?"** Kyuubi taunted him, making faces at him from behind the cage bars. **"There isn't a thing you can do to me out there beyond the cage, and the seal prevents you from coming in here with me."** Kyuubi sneered as it crossed its arms in front of itself, closing its eyes as it basked in its own greatness. **"Face it, there's nothing you can do to... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?"**

Naruto was halfway up the cage door, running for the seal. Kyuubi watched, horrified, as Naruto continued to use the Chakra exercise Kakashi had taught his squad. "Can't do anything to you as long as the seal's here, huh?"

"**You'll kill us both!"** Kyuubi shouted before the red aura of its Youki leapt from it, rushing up the bars after Naruto.

"Let's see what this does!" Naruto crowed as he stopped on his toes, literally throwing his upper body upward to move as flat as he can to the bars, stretching with his hand to the paper talisman holding the gates shut. He was only able to get his fingertips on the corner of the seal when the red Youki of the Kyuubi touched him and made him scream out in agony.

His hand reflexively clenched together in pain as his Chakra control was shot to hell with the infusion of the Kyuubi's power. He fell from the talisman on the gate, gritting in pain as he raised his clenched fists to his face, glaring into his hands as he tried to relax from the infusion of Youki to Chakra. Time slowed as he fell from the height, away from Kyuubi's Youki and to the ground below that would surely knock him out, looking at a scrap of paper in between his fingernails.

Then the world was wiped away in pain as the Kyuubi screamed out, joining him in unconsciousness.

* * *

The sound of rapid fire explosions of smoke around Tazuna's house had Kakashi running out the door with a kunai in hand, awaiting the attack that was coming. When nothing approached, he sent out his senses for Naruto. "Kakashi sensei?" Sakura called behind him, but he leapt off, leaving his team behind as he rushed through the forest towards his last Genin.

Kyuubi's taint was pushing at his senses, as if the seal had given way. This was the worst possible time for them, they were away from Konoha, which was good in itself, but Naruto was alone and defenseless. If anyone came across him now, without knowing if the Kyuubi was starting to rip free from his body, the possibilities of something worse than the first Kyuubi attack briefly flitted over his thoughts before he lifted his headband from his Sharingan eye.

Leaping into the clearing Naruto was using for his campsite, Kakashi reflexively reached for his sword that he no longer carried from his ANBU days. There were no hastily erected Genjutsus, no sign of Ninjutsus beings molded, or the life signs of Taijutsus being readied from hiding spots around the area, just the red outpouring of the Kyuubi as Naruto laid where he had collapsed.

Sasuke landed behind him and he had to restrain himself from flicking a kunai back behind him at his students arrival. He couldn't think about Sasuke right now, Naruto was to take priority over the mission they had with Tazuna right now.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, not seeing any signs of attack.

"Sasuke, stay back and prepare for immediate extraction." Kakashi made his way carefully over to Naruto, keeping his eyes on his collapsed student, and for anything unusual.

"What's going on, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked again as Kakashi stood over top of Naruto, eyeing the blond Dobe. Sasuke watched as Kakashi pulled the headband back down over his special eye before picking Naruto up and slinging the boy over his shoulder.

"Back to Tazuna's." Kakashi ordered flatly, glaring at Sasuke. "Training is over, the plans have changed."

Sasuke followed after his sensei, glancing at the unconscious Naruto, and wondering if he should thank him, or curse him for what was about to occur.

* * *

"I still say we leave the dogs behind." Anko smirked as she watched Hana growl again, Anko standing on the water away from the docks as Yuugao and Hana, with her team of dogs, watched the snake kunoichi.

"We finally got here, we can wait until morning to go across the strait to the island." Yuugao had her arms crossed in front of her, glaring at Anko.

"And if the boatman refuses to take over her mutts?" Anko asked, smirking as Hana made to jump at her, even though she would be able to reach in one bound. Yuugao placed a hand on her shoulder immediately.

"Then we'll go without them." Yuugao answered flatly.

"I am not leaving my team here without me." Hana growled out, her hair sticking up around her face as her eyes narrowed and her fingernails lengthened.

"If we have to cross by ourselves, then we will." Yuugao glared at Hana, who was growling at her superior. "Our orders are to extract immediately. If your team can't make it, then we leave them behind and come back for them when we can."

"Tough luck, Dog lady." Anko baited as she skipped back and forth on top of the water. "Guess we'll have to leave your kids behind, since they can't use Chakra like we can."

"Anko..." Yuugao warned the snake kunoichi as Hana made a handsign that vaguely like the tiger with her hands.

"Course, they could be even closer related than that." Anko continued to taunt as she stopped and leaned forward in observation as the dog team began to growl at her. "Maybe they're not Sankyodai but are actually Yonkyodai?"

**"Tsuuga!"** Shouted Hana as she leapt from the dock, beginning to spin rapidly in the air toward Anko.

Yuugao sighed as the two women began to fight each other.

* * *

Kakashi came down from upstairs, running his hand through his hair before sitting down with a serious look on his face, joining the rest of the household already assembled there. Inari, however, refused to come out of his room.

"Serious Chakra exhaustion, as if all his Chakra was expelled all at once." Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "He'll wake up tomorrow a little woozy, but he'll be fine. What bothers me is what caused his Chakra to get forced out of him like that all of a sudden?"

"Wouldn't he normally be down for a week, like you, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked from her side of the table next to Tsunami, who watched in silence.

"If he didn't have the Chakra reserves he did, he'd be dead." Kakashi sighed, shocking everyone around the table. "His body short circuited, forcing all his Chakra out. Because his body always has large reserves, his body refills faster than a normal person. After his Chakra was totally forced from him, they immediately had enough to keep him alive, if simply woozy instead of not enough to keep his heart going." Shaking his head, Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Only Naruto could do something so impossible."

Everyone seemed to relax at that, though Sasuke looked a little discomforted at the thought of Naruto doing something else impossible, let alone doing _anything_ impossible.

"Tazuna." Kakashi brought everyone attention back to him, a serious look coming from his exposed eye. "Under the assumption that Naruto was attacked, we are going as a full team tomorrow to help you with whatever needs done to finish your bridge. Do realize, however, that this is their last best chance to stop you without finding other means of destroying your bridge and everyone on it."

Tazuna felt Tsunami put her hand over his, and he patted his daughter's. "I understand what your telling me. May I assume that we can expect this Zabuza and his helpers showing up tomorrow?"

Kakashi nodded. "I wouldn't be too surprised about it." Kakashi eyed Sakura, who was looking scared, but determined, and Sasuke, who looked eager to prove himself. "We're putting our lives on the line for you tomorrow. I just thought that you should know what may or may not happen."

"Kakashi-san." Tsunami spoke up, looking determined at him. "It would be very appreciative if you all were able to come back for dinner tomorrow. It's going to be a very special meal in your honors."

Kakashi sat stunned at Tsunami's declaration.

Sakura smiled and looked brighter as she nodded her head. "I love your recipes, Tsunami-san! My mom and I can't cook nearly as good as you do!"

"A celebration meal, huh?" Sasuke smirked from where he sat. "We certainly can't miss something so important."

Kakashi watched as the mood of the house raised itself by the housewife's simple request. Smiling, he nodded his head. "I think we can manage that. Sorry for the trouble, however."

"It will only be trouble if no one shows up after I cook all that food for nothing." Tsunami smiled brightly, tilting her head to the side.

* * *

"Did you find him?" Zabuza asked from his bed as Haku came walking back into the room. He watched as she shook her head before walking over to him.

"It looked as if someone came for him and rushed away with him." Haku announced as she took a seat next to Zabuza. "They were in a hurry, most likely something was wrong with them or with Naruto. I went and checked the bridge just in case it may have been completed sooner than I was told, but it appears that we still have time to stop them."

Zabuza nodded as he digested everything, his mind already planning ahead to tomorrow's fight. "You know what you have to do?"

Haku nodded, her face blank and cold. "I am your weapon, Zabuza-sama. My purpose, my only purpose, is to kill as you direct."

Zabuza closed his eyes as he promptly ignored Haku, falling to sleep with practice.

Haku got up and walked off to her room, adjacent from Zabuza. She undressed in quiet, laying each piece to the side as she made sure that her battle kimono for tomorrow was ready. She checked over her weapons, one at a time as she ignored her nakedness. Her body was only a tool, her mind was her best weapon, and everything else was a means to an end.

Everything would end, tomorrow.

Climbing into her bed, she laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, letting her well honed senses feel everything out around her. She shivered once before she let the tears fall from her eyes, killing her heart before she had to kill her friend.

* * *

Kakashi could feel them ahead, on the bridge, through the early morning mist from the waters below the bridge. His team had come early to begin work as soon as they could, trying to get a jump on their enemies, but it seemed as if they had been out planned in this case. He glanced back at his team to make sure they were ready, knowing that this was going to make them ninjas, or break them forever.

"Sakura, no matter what happens, Protect Tazuna. Sasuke, come with me." Kakashi ordered as they walked away from their pink haired teammate, hoping that his team would survive.

"I see your team finally got here, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice carried from across the mist enshrouded bridge. They kept coming until the mist started to clear from around them, leaving them enough eye sight to see Zabuza standing defiantly before them, the masked hunter nin from before standing behind and to the side. "I don't see your blond little teammate, however. Thinking about trying the same trick with me like what happened last time?"

"Naruto isn't the only one who's full of surprises." Sasuke spoke up from Kakashi's side, challenging Zabuza with his eyes.

"Ah, the raven haired kid who tried killing himself the last time we met." Zabuza laughed, making Sasuke snarl. "I see you still haven't managed to get that trembling out of your body. I haven't even unleashed my killer intent, kid."

"I'm trembling in anticipation." Sasuke grinned before rushing forward, striking at the rising puddles as they formed into Mizu Bunshin of Zabuza. He struck at them with speed, dispersing them rapidly before could defend themselves.

"Zabuza-sama, you mustn't waste your Chakra." Haku whispered to Zabuza, who growled at her presumption. "Let me fight him in your place."

Zabuza glanced over his shoulder at Haku, glaring at her. Turning his head back to Kakashi, he shouted to the masked nin. "Oy, Kakashi, since your student looks like he's got some skill to him, how about my student against your student before we get to the main event?"

Kakashi eyed Sasuke, wondering what was going through his student's head to rush out into battle like that. Concerned for his students safety, he was about to tell Zabuza how bad an idea that was as Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Kakashi.

"I need to see my limits for myself, Kakashi-sensei. I'm going on ahead." He smiled at the masked nin. A grin that was as much enjoyment as it was vicious.

Kakashi blinked at his teammate before nodding to him. "If it starts to get out of hand, I may not be able to help you out."

Sasuke turned his head back to look at the battle kimono clad student of Zabuza, the mask keeping their gender hidden. "I will take my first steps toward Itachi today. I have to do this."

As Sasuke approached Haku, she spoke to him, her voice altered slightly behind her mask. "You're pretty fast for a Genin. You also seem to be pretty strong as well."

"If you're impressed with only that display of my skills, then you're in for a surprise." Sasuke smirked, his hand reaching back into his kunai holster as he prepared to charge.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not that I was praising you." Sasuke's smirk left his face as she continued. "It's just that you're so weak."

Sasuke rushed Haku, pulling a kunai from his holster as he leapt to the attack. Haku whipped her hands upwards towards Sasuke, sending senbon that had slipped in to her hands from her sleeves toward the Uchiha, causing the boy to dodge and weave ahead of the strikes that landed in front of him. Avoiding a sudden thrust from her hand that nearly impaled him, Sasuke jumped into the air, throwing his kunai to distract her, hoping to fight through several hands seals.

He didn't get his wish as Haku knocked the kunai away with one hand and flicked with her other, sending more up toward Sasuke, who had no choice but to deflect the senbon sent at him. He fell out of the air behind Haku, turning around as soon as he landed to dodge around her as she turned to face him, keeping at her back.

She twisted around the other way, whipping her body around and her hand up as Sasuke tried to pierce her neck, thereby ending the fight. As senbon and kunai clashed, Sasuke tried to overpower Haku, pressing his weight behind himself down into Sasuke.

"It seems..." Haku gasped, trying to maintain the stalemate, "as if...we're at an...impasse..."

"What now?" Sasuke asked snidely, pressing his advantage. "As it stands, neither of us is going to come out of this without at least a serious wound.

"Maybe..." Haku gasped as she raised her other hand before her. "I, however, do not need two hands to cast jutsus..."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock before looking down at the hand in front of him as it performed half seals quickly. **"Hyouton! Sensatsu Suisho!"**

Sasuke jumped back as Haku stomped on the bridge, forcing water to jump upward where it had pooled from the mist leaving condensation everywhere. The nearest pools of water sprayed drops of water up into the air and the those drops froze as they flew toward Sasuke, forcing him to back flip around and through a hail of frozen needles.

He stopped, once he was far enough away from Haku to make the aim of her jutsu to be off as if she had thrown the needles herself. He was in trouble, he wasn't going to be able to handle her attacks if he didn't know they were coming at him while she wielded one handed attacks at him. If only his bloodline was active, he would be able to see her attacks coming at him, then he would show her who was the better ninja.

Going through his own handset of seals from a crouch, he flipped through several before ending on the tiger sign and puffing his cheeks. **"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"** He launched a grand fireball attack at her, watching as it tore through the mists towards his foe. He watched as they made a single hand sign before a sheet of water leapt up in front of them, blocking the Katon jutsu. He sneered as they tried to defend themself with water and continued the attack unless his lungs ran out of air.

Canceling the jutsu, he inhaled deeply as he tried to fathom how the water somehow survived his attack. Even if, somehow, they made the mirror into ice, it should have melted under the power of his jutsu.

"Surprised?" Haku called from behind the jutsu. "My jutsu are not the normal type of jutsu. Simple fire jutsus like your Goukakyuu will do nothing to my attacks. Now, let me show you the power of my bloodline."

Water leapt into the air, followed by the command of the Chakra embedded in them as they formed several panes of deep blue. They swiveled and floated up into the air as they surrounded Sasuke from all around him and even above him, preventing him from escaping. **"Hyouton! Makyou Hyoushou!"** Haku shouted out before climbing into the pane in front of her, the pane moving to take its place in the dome before her image appeared in its surface. "Once I begin this jutsu, there is no escape."

Sasuke tried to bolt away on an angle away from the image of Haku, only for the mirrors to move the dome as if he was inside a ball, blocking his way with their forms. He tried to fake the mirrors out, throwing his body one way as he tried to move a different, only for the mirrors to follow him perfectly.

"I'm sorry for this, but I'm going to have to kill you now." Haku's image started to multiply, forming in several other mirrors all the way around him. "If you wish to hold a grudge in the other world, I will understand. Zabuza as aimed me at you, so you must die. Please understand."

* * *

**No, this isn't a new chapter, this is an edit. It was brought to my attention that I made a clerical error in a name and two spots where I renamed a jutsu as a spell. It's been about 24 hours so I give the award for Attentiveness and the prize of two free passes to this year's academy training to Najrala and Quathis. Congratuations to the both of you, enjoy your year in hell! XD**


	16. Red Maelstrom

**Look! it's a Fricken Miracle! Well, not quite, but you could pretend it was!**

**Disclaimer: This chapter sucks... Blah, Blah, Blah...Don't Own Naruto ect. ect.**

**G.B.: Herein Lies the Wave Arc Battle!

* * *

**

"Blah" - Normal Speech

_"Blah?"_ - Random Thought Bubbles (no yellow ones though)

**"BLAH!"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** - Jutsu's being used

* * *

There were colors and emotions passing his sight while he watched, a passenger along the macabre movie that was his past. His vision shifted through shades of red and tones of blue as the scenes of the worst events played out over and over again on an endless cycle of misery. Pain was on the menu, and he relived all of it while he fought to break free.

The laugh track that was his tormentors doling out their reasons for his suffering drowned everything out. He couldn't hear himself think, the pain he had gotten used to, even the worse parts like his one time with old man Hokage's specialized Chakra paper, that was supposed to tell him his elemental affinity. Regrowing the flesh on his hand had been one of the top five moments of pain that had hurt the worst.

He tried to focus past the noise, past the pain, shoving everything back down into that part in his mind where he refused to go, playing through each memory individually until he could take it and bury it in his subconscious once again, to deal with at another time.

After binding and shoving away the more recent events before leaving Konoha, he finally took a moment to stand where he was, shin deep in the miasma that was his mind. He felt tired, which was a bad thing considering he never felt exhausted in his own head before. Figuring it had something to do with the Kyuubi, he waded off in search of the demon in question, intent on asking it why there was water in his mind.

Time didn't seem to pass in his mind as he searched, confused as to why the pathways in his head seemed to be different from when he normally went searching for the furry 'tenant'. Normally, he would be brought straight to the demon in question just by thinking of it, but something felt wrong, which bothered him greatly. It was supposed to be his head, nothing was supposed to feel wrong in it, except for the mental scarring of finding out the Kyuubi had started needing to use the restroom and didn't have the facilities.

Stopping, Naruto lifted one foot up from the water and sneered down at his sandaled shoe. "This had better be just water." Naruto muttered darkly to himself, shivering in disgust before trekking further off into his sewer like mind.

Eventually finding the cage, Naruto tried to charge as fast as he could toward the bars, but slowed down as he realized that something was definitely off. Looking around the room, he couldn't tell what it was, but there was a sense of unease that was nearly palpable.

"**Finally made it, did you?"** The Kyuubi bit off in aggravation at Naruto from behind the bars, standing on the watery surface as if it were the floor. **"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"**

"_Say for myself?"_ Naruto stared at the Kyuubi for a moment, confused before the Kyuubi sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"**The seal, you idiot."** Kyuubi spat as she pointed up toward the paper talisman with 'Seal' written on the paper, only now the paper looked like it had become crinkled in some windstorm. **"You nearly killed the both of us. What the hell was running through the wind tunnel you call your mind?"**

Naruto growled at the Kyuubi.

"**Oh, did I offend you? Well, you deserve it, you stupid, orange monkey."** Kyuubi continued to rant at him her arms crossed in front of her still naked body. **"The Shinigami's seal was never meant to be messed with by you or anyone, especially you."**

"It's the Yondaime's seal, not the Shinigami's." Naruto corrected the Kyuubi, marching toward the child like form once again.

"**The Yondaime made a pact with Shinigami to seal me inside of you."** Kyuubi hissed at him. **"You really think a human had the power to place me inside of you? I am Power, you simpleton!"**

"So what?!?" Naruto shouted at the top of his voice, his temper shot. "All I've heard from you is how great you are, and how powerful you are! Well, Screw You!" Naruto flung his pointed finger toward Kyuubi, trying to get it to come at him so he could beat it senseless. "You're not so great! All that training was nothing more than me trying to suppress your power! Well, go to hell! You've made my life a nightmare since I was born and I want nothing to do with you!"

Kyuubi stood watching Naruto as he panted from his shouting, not moving or saying a word to him. Finally, she turned from him and walked back into the darkness of the cage, disappearing from sight. She didn't tell him to leave or taunt him, she didn't even acknowledge him at all.

His eyes snapped open as his mind transitioned straight from being in the Kyuubi's cage to laying on a bed in what looked like Tazuna's house. His mind audibly winced as his perceptions started to take in everything around him, including his aching body. Kakashi had told him what chakra depletion felt like, and he could feel the winces his muscles were going through.

He shivered as he sat up, reaching for his shirt instinctively. He would have more protection hiding in plain sight if he was dressed, which meant getting dressed. His shirt was over his head when he heard the front door of the house break in and Tsunami scream in terror as she began begging for whoever had broken into the house to take what they want and leave.

Naruto made his hand symbol for the Kage Bunshin, directing them out the window to sneak around to the front while he stayed inside. The sound of another door opening and small feet rushing downstairs before a little boy started screaming for his mother signified Inari doing something than acting like the Teme. Opening the door silently, he hung back at the top of the stairs and listens as two men taunted Tsunami about taking her son as well.

"If you try to take my son, I'll bite my tongue off and bleed to death!" Tsunami shouted at the two thugs dressed in dirty haori's.

Looking at his partner, he shrugged at him. "What do we do? Gatou told us to bring her to him, he didn't say exactly how he wanted her."

Grinning, the other man sneered in lust. "How very true. Let's take her off in the woods a little bit and have a little fun with her. We can be a little bit late, we'll just tell Gatou we ran into some villagers who thought they new better, and if she does bite her tongue off, can't hold it against us if we were trying to get her there."

Grabbing Tsunami by her hair, the first man began to drag her out of the house, Inari scared out of his mind and crying tears down his face. As they left the house, Naruto watched as the kid picked up a piece of firewood from the stack next to the stove and ran out the door, a crazed light in his eyes.

Naruto cursed as he rushed out of the house after Inari, watching as the kid yelled a battle cry fit for a warrior twice his size. The two samurai grinned maliciously as they tossed Tsunami behind them and drew there damaged weapons from the sheaths at their waist.

"Inari, Don't!" Tsunami shouted as the men moved toward the kid, who had closed his eyes in a blind charge. She screamed out as they swung their weapons down at her son, who had disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

The sound of a wet, meaty strike made her start to cry out in hysterics. The two men grinned in delight at the feel of their weapons only for the smiles to slip when two strong hands gripped their wrists and get them held in place. As the smoke cleared, Naruto looked up at the both of them, his irises narrowing into slits.

"You screwed up!" Naruto hissed in pain as his Kage Bunshin moved in from behind, stabbing the men in the back with readied kunai. They gasped in pain before the clones finished the strikes by twisting the blades as they pulled them free before cutting both men's neck. The clones poofed away as the thugs dropped to the ground already dying.

Inari came running back down from the house where Naruto had switched out with him, screaming for his mother as Naruto shook the weapons off from his shoulders, his healing already knitting up the damage. Tsunami cried in relief as she wrapped her son up in her embrace, cradling her son closely to her chest.

"Do you understand now, kid?" Naruto grunted as he walked past the both of them, heading down the road toward the bridge. He stopped long enough to glance over his shoulder, glaring at Inari. "No one wants to be a hero, and that's fine for most, but for the ones who fight for what they believe in, they're not dying because they don't care about their lives. If it wasn't for them, there would be people like Gatou running around doing whatever they feel with no regard for people like your mom or your grandpa."

He started heading back down the street as he finished harshly. "Go hide with your mother, and do the right thing by living. Throwing your life away for your village obviously doesn't mean all that much to you." He blurred off at top speed, leaping off toward the battle that was in full swing.

* * *

Kakashi had made to move toward the dome when Zabuza moved in front of him, Kubikiri Houcho held tightly in his hands as he sneered at the cycloptic ninja. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that our battle will have to come first before you can go and save your precious little student, Kakashi."

Kakashi's hand reached fr his headband as Zabuza dodged off into the mists again, disappearing from sight. Even as Kakashi cursed the bad luck occurring, the mist was beginning to thicken more and more around him until his sight was severely diminished. Leaving the Sharingan masked behind his headband, Kakashi took out a kunai and prepared for the attacks that were sure to come.

"Have you ever fought one of the Seven Swordsman, Kakashi?" Zabuza's voice echoed as if they were standing inside of a cave instead of on a bridge over the ocean. "In Kiri, we are trained from young ages to hunt not with our sight, but with our other senses. Unlike you're Sharingan, which hypnotizes the enemy as it spins, we use our natural talents to kill our enemies."

Kakashi cursed as he turned in place, cutting at the presence behind him and missing even as Zabuza came from a totally different angle and grazed him along the ribs before disappearing back into the mist.

"That's the secret of the Sharingan. It slows down perception for the user and the person being used on, enabling its other function to slow down and burn into memory the hand signs for the jutsus the enemy uses against them." Zabuza struck again, this time Kakashi killed the water clone as he managed to save his back from a rending gash through his spine. "To think the great Kakashi is nothing more than a charlatan, I'm disappointed."

Kakashi winced at the pain, grinding his teeth to stay silent as he waited for Zabuza to make his next move, all the while wondering what he was going to do to counterstrike against the dangerous psychopath.

* * *

"_Sasuke-kun, Kakashi sensei..."_ Sakura worried from where she stood, watching from the edge of the incredibly thick fog bank as Tazuna shifted in place. Holding the kunai close to her body, she watched into the mist hopefully for any sign of her teacher or her, hopefully soon, boyfriend/partner.

"This is just super." Tazuna worried as he shifted in place, turning back and forth as he watched behind them and in front of them as well. "My crew hasn't even shown up for work today. Something must have happened to everyone at the village." He looked up the road back toward the town before looking down at the little pink haired girl by his side. "You should go and help your teammates, I'll be fine by myself."

Sakura bit her lower lip before shaking her head violently. "I have to stay here with you. Even if Kakashi sensei and Sasuke-kun defeat those ninja on the bridge, if you died, it would all be wasted effort on our parts." Sakura smiled up at Tazuna in reassurance. "I trust my teammates. They'll win, no matter what."

Sakura shrieked as a body landed heavily behind her, turning and flailing her weapon about as she clenched her eyes shut. The hand that took hers in it was gentle as a familiar voice calmed her down.

"Where is everyone?" Naruto asked as he cupped Sakura's hand in his. He ignored Tazuna's pained stare as Sakura opened her eyes, a retort on her lips before she blanched.

"Naruto, you're hurt." Sakura mumbled as Naruto scowled.

"What happened?" Naruto ignored her flinch as he asked her firmly what was going on.

Pointing behind her at the mist, Sakura explained quickly. "Kakashi sensei and Sasuke-kun are in there, fighting against Zabuza and his teammates. They told me to stay here and protect Tazuna."

Naruto's Chakra started to ripple up out of his body in blue and red wisps as he glared into the mist. His eyes opened and made Sakura gasp as they changed from rounded pupils into the slanted ones of an animal. Jumping off into the mist, Naruto left her to continue to protect Tazuna without a second word.

"Was that a good idea letting him go in there by himself?" Tazuna asked weakly, his voice shaking slightly. "He was already wounded, and what was with his eyes?"

Sakura shivered at the pain and hatred held in Naruto's gaze. "Naruto..."

* * *

Haku was toying with the raven haired boy. Inside her demonic crystal ice mirrors, her speed was unequaled, easily surpassing Jounin levels and approaching Kage. From the inside of the mirrors, they were impenetrable from all damage, taking the ambient Chakra from her opponents and siphoning it into the mirrors to sustain them. The only way that anyone could disturb the technique is if a mirror was destroyed from the outside, causing the carefully balanced jutsu to fall apart.

Her supply of senbon may be finite, but within the mirrors, she could create more and more senbon than she would ever conceivably ever need. They had the consistency of steel if she focused them tight enough, and right now, she was focused on only making the raven haired boy's last moments in this mortal coil the most painful that she could.

Sasuke was starting to pant from exertion. Avoiding the senbon strikes was getting harder and harder as his body was pushed to his limits and beyond. Shuriken had failed, kunai had also failed, even the Uchiha technique of guiding shuriken on specialized ninja wire had failed to strike the image of the person in the mask as they blurred from one mirror to another tossing those painful needles at him. None of the attacks had been lethal yet, but they were coming closer and closer to the trunk of his body, and he had no doubts that if they had wanted, he would have been long dead by now.

He watched as the image in the ice mirror lifted its arm and bared a handful of needles that seemed to grow from their palm. Gritting his teeth, he started to make hand signs for the phoenix flower jutsu just as they started to move from the mirror once again. They changed direction almost impossibly in mid air as a bright orange body threw itself between the mirrors at them, surprising both Sasuke and Haku.

Naruto rolled as he landed, hopping of his shoulders as a set of senbon embedded themselves where Naruto's head had been just a moment before. Turning on his feet to face the image in the mirror, Naruto snarled.

"Where the hell have you been, Dobe?" Sasuke hissed in irritation, hiding the relief in his voice behind a tone of disdain. "You're late."

"Bite me, Teme." Naruto bit back at Sasuke, not in the mood for witty banter after dealing with the Kyuubi and then killing those bastards that had tried to rape Tsunami. "I thought the almighty Uchiha would have finished with his opponent by now."

"I was waiting for you." Sasuke sneered up at Haku, still waiting for the ninja to make the next move. "I had to show you how it's done, or you'll never learn anything."

"_Naruto, you came..."_ Haku's heart ached as she watched the blonde snipe back and forth with his teammate. She noted the blood on his coat, the slashed open shoulders from what appeared to be a sword. _"Why, Kami? Why must I fight him?"_

"No matter how many come to your aid, none of you will survive." Haku masked the despair in her voice as she taunted the two boys. "My Makyou Hyoushou cannot be defeated. You will both die here." She raised her hands, forming needles from the ice she was immersed in.

"Hey, Teme..." Naruto shifted his feet as the image began to blur above them. Needles rained down upon them, cutting of Naruto's comment as he joined Sasuke's frantic dodging. Once the attack relented, he bit a curse off as he pulled some of the needles from his arms and legs. "Now would be a good time for that useless bloodline you call a Sharingan."

"Gee, ya think?!" Sasuke shouted back at his partner as they crossed each other's paths, the needles that had been flying at them hitting a second set that was meant for the other, giving them a moment's respite. "Do something useful and use the one big technique you have! Or is that the only big technique you have?!?"

Haku hesitated for a moment within her mirrors, wondering what the two were talking about when Naruto made his cross shaped hand seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** he shouted, pouring a mix of the Kyuubi and his Chakra into the clones as they leapt in every direction at the mirrors. Her eyes widened behind the mask as she darted from the mirrors at her top speed, throwing ice senbon at the clones and the two boys.

Although the distraction helped to stave off a large amount of the needles that could have hit them, a few that had gotten through were painful flesh wounds that sent screams of pain through their appendages. Naruto was even worse off as he winced from all the phantom pain his clones went through before they died all at once, making him cringe from all the sensory input.

Sasuke cursed. It wasn't enough, wasn't long enough. The masked ninja had slowed a little in his eyes, but it wasn't enough to see the path or to do anything about it. He glanced at Naruto, who was wincing from pain, and asked, "Can you do it again? I almost caught it, but it wasn't long enough."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, looking at the raven haired boy for a moment as he panted. He didn't see fear, or hatred, he didn't even see resentment or the recent envy in the boy's eyes. He wasn't too sure what he was seeing, but he did realize something that he never thought he'd receive from someone else. Someone needed him for what he could do, because he was the only one who could do it.

"You need time? I'll give you lots of time!" Naruto shouted as he poured loads of Chakra into his cross shaped seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** First one wave jumped forward to the attack, then a second wave, and even a third wave formed from the clouds as they charged at the mirrors, intent on breaking them physically if he had to.

Haku leapt to the attack again, pinwheeling in mid air as she launched senbon after senbon at Naruto's all over the place. One clone actually got close enough to one of the ice panes to heat butt it before she was able to pop it out of existence. Panting from the exertion, she waited in the mirrors once again, trying not to show how out of breath that had made her.

Naruto grit his teeth as the last clone popped out of existence, and all Sasuke could do was snarl ineffectually It was almost there, he was sure of it, the world had slowed down for brief seconds before rushing back into full speed. Starting to make the hands for the Grand Fireball jutsu, Sasuke called out to Naruto. "If you can do it one more time, I can get them."

Naruto nodded as he stood up on his feet, the pain rushing through his body almost debilitating. He could use jutsu forever, but all that pain all at once was taking it out of him. _"This is nothing!"_ Naruto thought to himself as he made the cross shaped seal a third time. _"Living in Konoha was worse than this! This kind of pain won't stop me! You'll have to kill me first!"_ **"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"** He shouted a third time, pouring more and more of Kyuubi's Chakra into the clones.

Haku leapt out of the mirror again and this time Sasuke saw it. His eyes burned from not blinking, but this time he saw it all. The world slowed down to nothing in his eyes as his hands began to blur, picking up speed as he anticipated where Haku was headed to. Forming the last seal in the hand signs, he raised his fingers before his mouth and inhaled. **"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"**

Haku's head turned in slow motion toward the rising fireball coming at her, popping one of the clones by leaping off of it to alter her course, she barely missed her imminent death. Both Naruto and Sasuke were riddled with senbon as the clones were taken out, piercing their joints in as painful a manner as Haku could make it.

Both Sasuke and Naruto slumped to the ground as the muscles in their arms and legs refused to hold them up any longer. Panting harshly, both of them glared at the Haku in front of them in the mirror. Sasuke never noticed his eyes had changed over into red pupils with a single tomoe around the iris. He did, however, notice something more important.

"You may be fast," Sasuke smirked from where he crouched, "but it means nothing if we can see you." Naruto glanced back, flickering his eyes to Sasuke's red Sharingan eyes until Sasuke tilted his chin toward Haku.

Haku looked down at herself and saw that the corner of her kimono had been singed by the Grand Fireball. They had come too close to killing her. She really had no choice now. "It seems I cannot continue to play with either of you anymore. My next attack will kill you for sure."

Naruto fought to get his hands up in front of himself, his healing forcing the needles from his arms slowly. He wasn't in time as Haku's image leapt from the mirrors and the senbon came at him. Closing his eyes and hunching forward, he tried to protect his body as best he could by turning his body to the side.

The sounds of a meaty impact made Naruto open his eyes. Standing before him, arms spread outward and turned into a human pin cushion stood Sasuke. He didn't cry out, didn't utter a word as he stood in front of Naruto, his body seeming to have locked in place from the strike.

"Why?" Naruto asked, feeling the needles finally coming free of his arms and legs as Naruto sat up, catching Sasuke as his body finally started to collapse. Needles had even gotten into Sasuke's neck, blood trickling from around the pins. "Why did you save me? Why did you throw away your life for mine?!?"

Sasuke blinked, wondering why there wasn't any pain. He had felt being hit, but he couldn't feel the pain. He could barely hear Naruto as the blond haired boy cradled him in his arms. "I... I don't... know why..." It was hard to talk, and the light was fading from his eyes as his Sharingan faded away. "I guess... you... remind me... of... my brother..." Sasuke smiled as his eyes closed. "I didn't even get to kill... that man..."

Haku sighed slowly. It was her intention to paralyze Naruto so that he couldn't use his shadow clones, but this was a better circumstance for her. Without his friend, Naruto wouldn't be able to stand against her, and she could keep him busy until Zabuza had won against their sensei.

"Was he your friend?" Haku asked politely, waiting for Naruto to speak to her. After a few moments, she continued. "It's hard to watch them die, but soon you will have to get used to it. Everyone dies, even you will die..."

"Shut up!" Naruto hissed as his Chakra started to boil out of his body. He laid Sasuke down carefully to the ground as he continued to speak. "He had a dream, a vision, of one day getting revenge against the man who killed everyone he ever knew! You took that away from him!" Naruto stood as more of the needles began ejecting themselves from his body faster and faster, some of the needles melting away as they were forced from his body. "You won't get away with this!" Naruto snapped his head to the side, peering over his shoulder as red Chakra began to pour out of him like a raging storm. "I'll send you to hell!"

* * *

Kakashi had felt Naruto's abnormal mix of Chakra and Kyuubified Chakra join Sasuke in battle within the mirrors and sighed in relief as they teamed up to take on Zabuza's apprentice. Giving him time to think of a plan, Kakashi could only think of one way to get to Zabuza through this mist. Raising his headband to bring out the Sharingan, Kakashi reached into a holster and pulled out a scroll.

"It seems my student will kill the blonde gaki after all." Zabuza's voice echoed as he began to laugh harshly. "Stay there in the mist and wait for death as I watch your students fall to mine, Kakashi."

"Actually, I was wondering if you mind if I just end our fight right here and now." Kakashi asked as he opened the scroll and began to trace on the scroll using blood from one of the many wounds on his body. Writing quickly on the scroll, Kakashi spun it around and over him and he gathered his Chakra together for this one special attack.

"If you think you can kill me, go right ahead." Zabuza sneered as he waited for Kakashi to finish. "Whatever stolen technique you plan on using isn't going to be enough to finish the job."

Kakashi finished swirling the scroll around him, tossing it into the air, he allowed it to roll shut as he clasped his hands in front of him, making the sign for tora. The scroll fell out of the air and he caught it with his thumbs as he focused his intent before unclasping his hands. Taking the scroll in one, he raised it lengthwise above his head before slamming the scroll down on it's end.

Zabuza waited a few minutes before laughing harshly at Kakashi. "Nice try, Kakashi, maybe I should just kill you now to end the shame."

"Laugh while you can, Zabuza. I've already found you." Kakashi called from where he crouched, glancing forward.

Zabuza was shocked as a large dog barreled its way out of the ground in front of him, making him lean back from the near fatal strike, only to fall into the jaws of an even larger dog that sprung up from the ground, clamping its large jaw over his weapon shoulder and biting down. More dogs began to spring up out of the ground and bite him all over, incapacitating as Kakashi called out the technique.

"**Doton Kuchiyose: Tsuiga no Jutsu!"** Kakashi barked as the mist began to fade away.

Zabuza shouted in pain from the dog bites as they held him, their teeth unforgiving as they held him in position. "Remember what I told you in the forest the first time we fought, Zabuza?" Kakashi asked as he stepped toward the weaponmaster. "This eye can see your future, and what it sees is your death!"

Kakashi stopped, his eye widening as he glanced toward the ice dome that was starting to pulse in deep vermilion as the Kyuubi's Chakra started to pour forth. It was swelling inside the dome, growing larger and large by the second. Kakashi had to end Zabuza now, in case Naruto's seal had finally been undone.

"You should be honored." Kakashi spoke calmly even as Kyuubi's Chakra started to mess with his vision. "I'm going to show you the one technique that I created out of the thousand I mastered." Making the seals for Ushi, Usagi, then Saru, Kakashi thrust his right arm down in front of him as he placed his left arm between elbow and wrist, bracing for the power he was about to pour into his hand.

* * *

Power poured off Naruto as the wind blew like a cyclone inside her Makyou Hyoushou. Naruto's Chakra roleld around him, spiraling upwards into the air as his Chakra continued to grow and grow at a phenomonal rate. Throwing senbon toward Naruto, he ducked out of the way of the weapons casually. Flicking more and more weapons towards him, he jumped and pivoted in the air impossibly, even spinning in a side corkscrew as he batted her weapons out of the air.

Using her speed, she threw senbon everywhere, intent on hitting something. Naruto hunched over, protecting the front of his body as his back was peppered with projectiles. Sighing in relief, she gasped as Naruto flexed where he hunched, the senbon impaling him launching with force back at the mirrors around her. His Chakra began to cause heat distortions in the air, even though Chakra wasn't supposed to cause those kinds of ripples, as his face snarled. His whisker marks flared into dark marks on his cheeks, bands of blackness as his teeth and nails grew to deadly proportions.

Naruto blurred out of sight and Haku had to evade a punch that shattered one of her mirrors. She shivered as that was the very mirror she had been in before Naruto had punched it. His eyes tracked her as she slipped into another mirror and he lashed out again in a blur of speed, a growl of anger ripping from his lips as he shattered another mirror just as she managed to get away from him.

She could feel her jutsu starting to destabilize and it distracted her for only a moment as she tried to get it back under control. Naruto was in front of her in that time and punched her in the mask, cracking it from forehead to chin with the force of his punch as he blasted her free of her mirror, breaking the mirror in the process. Without her inside of her construct, the jutsu prison fractured and broke away in motes of light that started to fall to the ground.

Haku closed her eyes as she rolled like a rag doll, inertia from the attack keeping her spinning until she finally slid to a stop nearly a hundred feet from where Naruto had punched her. Weakly making one handed seals under her body, she clapped the ground, weakly calling out, **"Hyouton: Sensatsu Suisho!"**

He didn't bother to dodge as he charged into the water needles, batting them away as he rushed after Haku, death in his eyes. He kicked at Haku, feeling as ribs cracked as she rolled with the blow, diverting a lethal attack into a painful blow. She was just trying to get her breath back as she tried to stand up, wanting to meet her fate on her feet.

Naruto snarled once again as the Chakra rippled and arched in the air around him. He sneered angrily as drool dripped from his teeth. Rushing at Haku once again, he cocked his hand back to rip her head off in this next blow.

Fate must have deemed it necessary at that moment for Haku's mask to finally break from the stress of Naruto's first blow. She made no effort to save it, or even to defend herself as she waited placidly for the attack that would end her life. Naruto shouted as he came at her, a fine coat of red Chakra covering him as he bared down on her. She closed her eyes and waited, not even bothering to pray to a Kami that had never listened to her.

She waited, and she continued to wait until she heard a voice she wished was never directed at her in sadness. "Haku?" Naruto asked weakly, staring at the serene face of the girl who had spoken to him for the last two weeks.

"You were supposed to kill me, Naruto." Haku spoke weakly, opening her sad eyes to stare at the boy. Red Chakra still rippled around him as he stepped away from her, shaking his head back and forth weakly.

"No," Naruto weakly uttered as he tried to deny the reality of what was happening in front of him, "No, it's not true! Not you! Anyone but you!"

Haku could see the tears starting to fall from his eyes and wished there had been another way. She wished that it had been any team that had come with the bridge builder, as long as Naruto had not come, but Fate was a cruel animal. "I'm afraid it's true..."

"Why?!" Naruto shouted, his mind spinning as his heart ached. "Why are you helping Zabuza?!"

"Because he is what makes me strong." Haku answered, her eyes shining as she smiled at Naruto. Naruto shook his head in denial as she continued. "He took me in when no one else would. He taught me, trained me, risked everything to make me the woman I am now."

"You're just like those bastards from Konoha!" Naruto accused as he began to break down. "You lied to me! You used me! You wanted to kill me! It's the truth, isn't it?!" Naruto head snapped to the side from Haku's slap as her eyes leaked tears as she watched her friend.

"How dare you call me a liar?" Haku spoke harshly at Naruto. "You are my friend, I didn't lie about that."

"Then why?" Naruto's eyes became hidden by his spiky hair as he tilted his head forward. "Why did you kill Sasuke? Why did you do all of this?"

"Zabuza commanded it of me." She watched Naruto flinch from her words, but she continued. "I am Zabuza's tool, he is what makes me complete. He gave me life, and I owe him so much. I only wish he had not ordered me to kill you as well." She watched as Naruto shook with sadness as he cried in front of her. Silently, he body shook as tears dropped from his eyes. "I need you to kill me, Naruto."

Naruto's head snapped up, shock radiating from his blue eyes. "No..." He muttered weakly.

"You must, Naruto." Haku winced at the pain openly staring back at her, the denial on his lips. "As I said, I am Zabuza's weapon." He shook his head at her as he continued. "If you do not kill me, I must kill you."

"No, I won't..." Naruto shook his head harder, his voice rising. "I refuse, I won't!" He ripped his satchel from his leg and tossed it as hard as he could over the side of the bridge. "You can't make me kill you! I'd rather die!" He yanked his hitai-ate from his head and tried to toss it over the bridge as well as Haku grabbed his hand.

Her hand screamed in pain as she held onto Naruto's crimson covered hand, but she continued to hold it. "I won't allow you to throw away your life, Naruto. As your friend, it means so much more to me that you live." Haku glanced up over his shoulder and her face hardened before she whispered into Naruto's ear. "Maybe in another life, we could be friends again. Don't cry over my death, Naruto."

she pushed him away as she bolted past Naruto, throwing him behind her as she ran as fast as she could. Naruto managed to regain his balance then turned around, watching as Haku rushed to get between Zabuza and Kakashi's glowing attack.

"No!" Naruto shouted as his Chakra once again skyrocketed.

* * *

Zabuza watched as Kakashi's hand began to spark. As more and more of his Chakra gathered into his outstretched hand, he was amazed and terrified at the same time as his Chakra reached an audible spectrum, the sound of chirping birds starting to come from the light. Sturggling in the grip of the dogs, Zabuza knew that he couldn't get free from this, he was a dead man.

"This is my attack, the one that made me famous while in the ANBU corps." Kakashi called out over the sound of the chirping as he focused in on Zabuza. Turning his hand to his side, the ground ripped up underneath the jutsu even as Kakashi started his headlong rush at him.

"_So this is how it ends..."_ Zabuza thought as he tried to struggle one last time, his strength still not fully recovered from when he gained the Chakra burns from that blond kid when they first encountered one another.

"**Raikiri!"** Kakashi shouted, drowning out Naruto's voice even as the world rippled around him.

The sound of a body being pierced wetly echoed as the sound of the Raikiri was muted around a body. Kakashi's eyes were as wide as they could go as the hand that held his wrist maintained its death grip on him, holding the killing blow to their chest.

"Za... Bu... Za..." Haku spoke weakly as the light left her eyes, the Raikiri buried in her body disappearing as Kakashi's shock broke the control on the technique. So shocked, the nin dogs holding Zabuza popped out of reality and back to where they came from, releasing Zabuza.

"Good work, Haku." Zabuza kicked the now lifeless body into Kakashi, raising his sword above his head as be prepared to cleave through both Haku's body and Kakashi.

"**ARGH!"** The enraged voice of Naruto snapped Zabuza's attention back around to the kid, but it was too late as the blond once again gripped his back, covered in the red sheath of the Kyuubi's chakra.

Zabuza screamed out as his body was burned once again, his Chakra coils becoming more and more damaged as Naruto continued to hold onto him. He didn't release the swordsman until he had collapsed onto his face in pain, dropping Kubikiri Houcho as he spasmed in uncontrollable pain.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice called out as the fog finally began to lift from the shore. "Sasuke-kun?" Both Tazuna and Sakura approached through the barely there mist as they searched for her teammates, believing the battle to be over if the mist was rising.

"Sa-" Sakura saw the impaled body of Sasuke laying on his back, needles perforating his body. "Sasuke-kun!" She shouted in fear as she rushed over to the obviously wounded boy, kneeling down by him, too afraid to touch him in case he was still aware of the pain in his body. She soon enough realized that he wasn't breathing and began wailing in misery at the loss of Sasuke Uchiha.

"I guess you were a failure after all, Momochi Zabuza." The voice of a confident, nasally man called out from the far side of the bridge. Kakashi and Tazuna looked at the far end as shadows began to appear in the mist, resolving into a small platoon of armed thugs and mercenaries. In front of them stood a well dressed man, face small and pinched, and a pair of dark glasses over his eyes. He waved his cast covered arm toward the fighters. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter if you survived or not, I was going to kill you anyways. Too bad about the whore though, I could have had her warm my bed for a little while before turning her out to make me more money."

"Gatou!" Tazuna shouted angrily, fists clenching impotently at his sides. "How dare you show your slimy face around here!"

"I thought I'd come out here and inspect your work." Gatou sneered as he rapped his cane on the bridge. "Pretty shoddy piece of work you've got here, you old has been."

Tazuna growled as he took an involuntary step forward out of anger.

Gatou laughed at the look on Tazuna's face. "Your ninja are tired, your workers are all at home, cowed by my power, and your bridge will go unfinished. It's over for you." Gatou sneered as he rubbed their position in Tazuna's face. "I'm giving you an opportunity here, old man. Go home and forget about this bridge, I'll even do you the favor of removing it so that you don't have to strain yourself. What do you say?"

"Here's an idea." Tazuna said as he walked over and grabbed a two by four. Picking it up, he carried back to the center of the bridge and beckoned to Gatou. "You can have this bridge over my dead, rotting body."

Gatou smirked. "If you insist." He said before snapping his fingers. "Kill them." He ordered and his thugs leapt forward, shouting in glee as they charged the old man.

Halfway to Tazuna, they started to scream in pain as red Chakra blazed into the sky. Naruto turned to face the men belonging to Gatou, his eyes pure white as he snarled like a wild beast. The bridge trembled and quaked under all of them as Naruto's Chakra continue to rise with no limits in sight. The air became thick with killer intent, strong enough to suffocate The thugs scrabbled at their throats, desperate to suck a breath into their straining lungs as Naruto charged at the front line.

Kakashi laid Haku's body to the side, grabbing a suffocating Tazuna and Sakura in his arms before bringing them back to the edge of the bridge nearest to land. Going back into the zone of suffocation, he came back with a stirring Sasuke, the needles having been forced from his body as they had melted away into the water they had been made from. He headed back into the zone one last time to drag Zabuza out, the ninja's face bandages having fallen away from in front of his face, he sucked in precious air as he lay prone on his back.

Sakura cried sadly over Sasuke, who couldn't move to fend himself as Tzauna asked Kakashi, "What is going on in there? Where's Naruto?"

The cloud's in the sky lit up in red as Naruto's Charka poured out from him. Kakashi pointed off toward the light. "That _is_ Naruto. He's so angry that his Chakra is making the air too heavy to breath. It's like making the air into water, or ground. It refuses to move, becoming thick like honey."

"Can you stop him?" Tazuna asked, scared out of his mind as an earth rending shout of anger rolled across the bridge.

"I'm going to try." Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the bridge before glancing down at Zabuza. Handing Tazuna a kunai, he pointed at the missing ninja. "If he tries to move, kill him." Tazuna nodded, then Kakashi leapt off onto the bridge for his final student.

The world rippled around Naruto as the Kyuubi's power bent the laws of nature. Some of the thugs behind him had suffocated to death, unable to draw in any air. The others had died violently, shredded on Naruto's dripping claws and teeth. They had been ripped apart in the bloodiest ways Naruto's unconscious mind had demanded of him. Anger, Hatred, Violence boiled in his mind from years of repressing the desire to kill, and he reveled in the absolute rightness in creating carnage.

Gatou had long abandoned his men, running back the way he came for the ladder that had been placed on one of his boats at the first sign of trouble. His men left to the savage embrace of the crazed, blond child, Naruto moved past the dead to the ladder still placed against the edge of the unconstructed side.

"No! Stay away!" Gatou waved at the boy, he was almost down to the ship below that had been tethered to the pylon coming out of the water, too deep to drop an anchor and ever hope to hit bottom with it.

Naruto snarled and watched the man stumble down a fw more rungs before reaching down and grabbing the ladder with his hands, the wood bursting into flames around his fingers. Gatou shrieked in fear as the wood rattled under Naruto's shaking, and he was forced to stop and hold on to dear life or be thrown into the sea, where he would surely sink. Sneering down at Gatou, Naruto stood up before jumping down after the man.

Gatou could only watch as the boy fell at him, screaming in fear as the red light covered boy plowed into his face feet first, the red Chakra burning away at his flesh even as his neck snapped from the impact. Naruto continued to plummet with Gatou on his feet, a snarl over his lips as Gatou's head splattered on impact with the boat before he continued to drive through the ship, making a hole straight through to the sea below.

As if the greasy man's death was enough, the Kyuubi's Chakra guttered out like a spent candle. Naruto's eyes returned to the blue color they had been and he looked up at the hulled ship he had plowed through in his rage, refusing to move as he continued to sink into the waters. He was spent, the energy to smother lives by his presence alone, the emotions of Haku's betrayal and her death, Sasuke's own death, it was all too much for him.

He closed his eyes, never feeling as the bodies of several snakes wrapped themselves around his torso and began to drag him upwards toward the world of the living once again.

* * *

He laid there for Kami knew how long. Awareness slipped back and forth across his consciousness, even the time he thought he had been back in front of the Kyuubi's cage had been like a dream to him. It must have been a dream, he had heard crying coming from the Kyuubi's cage, and the Kyuubi wouldn't have a reason to cry.

His ears seemed to tune in slowly as he began to pick out voices.

"God Dammit, Kakashi! All of this can be laid at your feet!"

"Don't you think I know that!" Kakashi snapped back at the familiar female voice. "I nearly lost two of my students out there, one of them in combat, the other to a berserker like fury! Don't doubt for a second I don't know what the fuck happened out there! I know better than you think!"

"And what do you have to show for it?!?" The incensed, female voice shouted back at him. "The Uchiha has his Sharingan eyes, which will make the council absolutely tickled to hear about that, and Naruto who just tried to release the Kyuubi!"

"If you can't be civil, Anko, then maybe you need to go for a walk..." A second female voice suggested calmly, which earned her a scathing and very blistering remark.

He felt something furry shift against his arms. His hands were took weak to move, but a body had definitely brushed against him, he thought. He was took weak to move, which was something that he didn't like to feel. He remembered watching Haku race of to Zabuza, and then...

"I'm back." The voice of Hana Inuzuka broke up the arguing in the room. Voices silenced themselves as a door closed. "I didn't find anything on the bridge. Whatever happened to that hunter nin, there's no body. I'd even hesitate to say that they're still alive if it wasn't for your eyewitness testimony, Kakashi."

Haku was alive? That didn't make any sense.

"People don't just get up after having a hole punched through with a Raikiri." Kakashi groused, obviously not liking that answer Hana had given.

"Your technique burns through the air like lightning. Whatever scent there was of her, it's long gone because of it." Hana walked over and sat down on the floor nearby. A shadow seemed to hover over him briefly as a hand was brushed through his hair.

"So we have a captured missing nin, a missing hunter nin accomplice, and a Chakra exhausted Genin." The familiar voice spoke again, sighing in frustration. "ANBU wasn't nearly this exciting."

"Told you the corp was easy." Kakashi sounded like he was teasing the woman, as if they were friends of some type.

"Don't you have to be somewhere?" Anko snidely remarked, clearly still pissed off.

"Sakura and Sasuke are helping Tazuna out at the bridge. With Gatou gone, morale has picked up significantly. It might be today, or tomorrow that the bridge will be finished and we can all go home." Kakashi announced happily, clearly liking the results of their hard work.

"There are still mercenaries out there that could come upon your students at any time." Anko pointed out harshly. "Your their sensei, go be a sensei."

"He's my student as well." Kakashi pointed out, Naruto unable to see if Kakashi was pointing at him or not.

"She's right, Kakashi." Hana spoke up next to Naruto as a furry body shifted against Naruto once again. "We've got Zabuza and Naruto taken care of. Tomorrow, an ANBU escort will arrive to take Zabuza into possession, then we can head back at our leisure. Go handle your other students."

Kakashi seemed to hesitate before the sound of a shunshin activating signaled Kakashi's leaving.

"Why can't we kill Zabuza." Anko demanded to know, venom in her voice, the sound of something spinning quickly coming from her.

"Political posturing, most likely." The unknown female answered, sighing. "Zabuza was a famed warrior of Mizu no Kuni. If we turn him over to the Mizukage, we might earn an alliance out of it, or at least better relations with the country."

"He hurt Naru-kun!" Anko hissed, the sound of snakes hissing with her. A low rumble started up on the other side of Naruto from another furry body, this one bigger that the one on his right.

"He's got more information that we can extract from him alive than we can dead." Hana pointed out, her hand left Naruto's hair.

"He hurt Naru-kun!" Anko seethed as she stressed her words. "If I had just five minutes with him..."

"Then we'd have a dead missing nin instead of a living one." The unknown voice said, sighing out loud as if the weight of the world upset her or something. "Just do us all a favor and stay here with Naruto. The least you can do is watch over him, right?"

"No one's gonna hurt my fishcake again." Anko answered vehemently. His hearing started to fade back out as sleep overtook him once again.

* * *

When he awoke again, he felt hollow inside. He blinked his eyes weakly as he tried to turn his head from the pillow, only to have arms squeeze him tightly back against the body pressed against him. Blinking a few more times, he was able to tell that it was just starting to dawn outside and there was a busty female laying against him, pulling him into her body as a coat laid over top of both of them.

"Mmmmm, fishcake..." Anko muttered in his ear as her leg rubbed up and down Naruto's.

Blushing from the way Anko was rubbing up against him, Naruto tried to move his hands to form the cross shaped seal. A clone popped into reality at his feet and Anko groaned at the sound, pressing her body tighter against Naruto as he leg made to wrap around his hips. Quickly shifting his hands to hitsuji, Naruto replaced himself with the clone.

The clone shot him an outraged look as Naruto bent down and grabbed his shirt. Shrugging to the clone, he got dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. He stepped out of the door from the room they had given him and nearly tripped over Mikoto. Lifting her head from the floor, Mikoto whined at him as he leaned down and petted Hana's most loyal tracker before walking toward the kitchen.

Mikoto followed him down into the dining room, the sound of breakfast being made in the kitchen quietly made Naruto try to sneak his way toward the front door. As if Mikoto was out to stop him, she loudly whined from the foot of the stairs, bringing Naruto up short as Sakura called from the kitchen.

"Do you need to go for a walk, girl?" Sakura asked as she appeared from inside the kitchen. "I'll let y-" She froze as she noticed Naruto standing in the middle of the foyer, one shoe one and the other held in front of himself.

Both of them stood there in front of each other, a look of confusion on Naruto's face while Sakura looked to want to say something, but was unsure on how to approach the subject. Mikoto walked over to Naruto and took hold of his sandal he was holding in front of himself, pulling it from his loose hands before heading back upstairs with her prize.

"Naruto," Sakura blurted out, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "you finally woke up..." Naruto looked down at the floor, unable to speak and making Sakura feel even more awkward. "Kakashi sensei and I ave been worried about you..."

"I'm sorry." Naruto spoke quietly, Sakura unintentionally flinching at the sound of his voice. "I failed to protect Sasuke."

Sakura weakly smiled at him, waving her hand in front of herself. "Sasuke-kun is better now. The needles weren't aimed to kill him, just stop him from fighting." She sighed as a cloud of depression seemed to flow across her face. "In the end, both you and Sasuke-kun were more useful that I was..."

"You had the most important job." Naruto spoke up, before tilting his face back down in embarrassment. "Tazuna needed protection. You accomplished what we couldn't do."

"That's not true." Sakura shook her head at him. "Both you and Sasuke-kun fought your hardest to protect Tazuna. In the end," Sakura's voice dipped low once again as she continued, "Both of you won."

Naruto removed his one sandal from his foot, placing it back down with the other shoes. Mikoto most likely had headed off to whatever room Hana was in, which meant he didn't have much time before everyone else knew he was awake.

"Tsunami..." Sakura swallowed as a slight green tinge crossed her face. "She told us about the two men who came for her." Naruto winced as e looked at his hands. "You protected all of us, Naruto. Not just Tazuna."

"I killed, though." Naruto murmured, opening and closing his hands. "How many people won't get to see the sun because of me? How many more people will have to die because of what I am? What about if I go mad again, how many will I kill then?"

"I... don't know." Sakura shivered at the thought of killing someone. "From what Kakashi said, that won't happen again."

Naruto shook his head. He had the Kyuubi inside of him, and until it was exorcised from him, he might go crazy once again. His head snapped up as his clone popped away. He turned around to open the door and his face was immediately swallowed into the exposed chest of Anko.

"I missed you so much, my little fishcake." Anko purred in his ear as she stroked his hair with her fingers. "Come back to bed. It's too early for us to do anything but cuddle and rub each other in all those good, adult ways..."

Sakura gaped at the adult kunoichi as she wrapped Naruto with her arms and one leg before disappearing in a quick shunshin. Shivering at the ecchi scene she was just subjected to, she turned woodenly back into the kitchen to continue getting breakfast ready.

* * *

**I didn't suddenly start doing a crossover this time, dd I? No? Good! ^.^**


	17. Steps for the Future

**Wow, how did that happen? Wave arc is finished at last... I know that some of you are not happy that Haku ended the way she did, but I would just like to defend myself by saying that at no point in the poll question did it ever say that Haku was going to survive. Still, I know that you liked how Haku was portrayed, maybe a miracle will happen and I will relent. After all, Zabuza is still alive... for now...**

**Disclaimer: You Hate Me! You Really Hate Me! XD

* * *

**

"Blah" - Normal speech

_"Blah"_ - Thoughts

**"Blah"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** - Activated Jutsus

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha, last Uchiha of Konoha, stared at the gathered people who had come to see them off. It had taken them another full week to repair the battle damage from Naruto's rampage, which had given him his own time to heal from the wounds he had taken. The fight with Zabuza's ninja partner had left his arms and legs a mess of pin holes and numb sensations when he had woken up. A day of bed rest had allowed him to get most of the feeling back in his hands and feet, though he had trouble moving for the next two days.

Sakura had been his nurse, one he loathed to his depths. She didn't know when to just leave him alone, even with the glares or the silent treatment he had begun to adopt around her. He did notice, however, the extra ninjas in Tazuna's house. Before he got feeling all the way back in his extremities, several ANBU from Konoha had appeared and taken a report scroll from Kakashi before taking Zabuza into their custody and immediately headed back toward Konoha.

Kakashi had been on egg shells around the three female ninjas, especially the purple haired one with the trench coat. There had been a moment where snakes had flashed out from her sleeves when her and Kakashi had gotten into one of their more frequent arguments about Naruto. The lavender haired woman dressed in combat armor and a sword had stopped anything destructive from happening, though the woman in the trench coat had looked livid at the time being.

Even the woman from Konoha's vet clinic was here, with her three mutts. The meager medical treatment she helped with had eased some of the more aggravating areas and aided in getting him to his feet faster, which he was secretly thankful for. He wouldn't freely admit it to anyone, not even himself, but he was thankful for at least that small mercy, or he was going to ram a kunai into that smiling face framed with pink hair.

The drastic change had been Naruto. After going on a killing spree that had, supposedly, left the bridge painted in gore, Naruto was up the next day and back to running up and down trees until he collapsed. He couldn't follow Naruto's example immediately, but once he could, he joined the blond teammate by the very next tree to him and started his own training, side by side in silence.

Nothing was said about what happened on the bridge, about how Sasuke had went down and 'died'. Nothing was said between the two about what happened after Sasuke laid unconscious, or how Naruto had managed to bare handed hill all those people. There wasn't any taunting to egg each other on to do better. They simply stared ahead, and ran forward with everything they had.

It was the closest thing to having a brother that Sasuke had been allowed to have in a very long time.

Before 'Him'.

"On behalf of Wave Country, I Tazuna, Super Bridge Builder, thank you all for saving us." Tazuna bowed to the ninja before him, the villagers cheering happily, throwing hats up into the air.

"Think nothing of it, Tazuna." Kakashi spoke as representative of his ninja squad. The three women and three dogs of Hana's tracking team stood a bit further up the bridge, having missed the true fighting that had ended the strangle hold on Wave Country. "I do have to ask you, however... Is the mission complete to your satisfaction?"

Tazuna laughed from deep down inside. "It's more than just satisfying. It's Super, just Super."

Kakashi nodded his head. "Then our contract with you is complete. I hope that when you come back to Konoha, you don't have a mission for my team, OK?" Kakashi spoke in a humoring fashion, his one eye curving upward at the joke.

"If we ever make it to Konoha, I promise you, no more missions. This old man learned his lesson." Tazuna smiled as Tsunami stepped forward and hugged them all one at a time.

"Thank you, all of you, for helping us out." Tsunami had happy tears leaking from the corner of her eyes.

"I'm just happy it all worked out." Sakura laughed lightly, wiping at the tear in her own eye.

"Oy, Naruto." The blond ninja blinked from his introspection of the far side of the bridge to turn and stare at Inari, who had a determined look on his face. The young boy's hands were clenched as he glared at Naruto. "I still don't really understand what you were saying, but I do know one thing." Pointing his finger at Naruto, he shouted at him. "I'm going to make sure my grandpa never needs your help again, even if that means becoming a hero in Wave!"

The villagers quieted down at Inari's declaration and watched as Naruto walked up to the boy, staring down at him with an unreadable look on his whiskered face. "You know what I said about heroes, right?" Naruto waited for Inari to nod at him. He watched Inari carefully before snorting in derision at the boy before turning away and heading for the far side of the bridge. "Do what you think you have to, but I won't weep over a dead hero."

"I won't be a dead hero!" Inari shouted, growing more and more angry. "I'll show you that I can be a hero while doing my best to live! I'll fight for what I believe in, and prove you wrong!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Inari, a smirk on his face. "I'd like to see your 'Hero' someday. Until then..." Naruto waved over his shoulder as he headed off. Giving the villagers their final few words, Naruto's group soon headed off after him.

Tazuna placed his hands on Inari's shoulders, squeezing them in a caring manner as they watched the ninjas heading home. "Grandpa..." Inari spoke quietly, "do you think I can be like Dad?"

Tazuna smile grew as he answered. "If that's what you want to be, I think you can do it, but you have to do it super big, or Naruto will never notice."

Inari smiled as he rubbed his nose with his finger. "Ya know, grandpa, you never finish a bridge until you name it."

Tazuna laughed out loud. "That's very true..."

* * *

Without having to slow down due in part to the civilians that were no longer a part of their group, the ninjas made good time heading back to Konoha. Stopping for the night on the Fire Country side of the border, there was a quickly made bonfire and some food rations passed around to everyone. The adults had quickly decided on a two man rotation for watching for any intruders during the night.

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke from time to time, watching her crush with a careful eye to make sure that nothing bad happened to him. Sasuke stared at Naruto, who looked to have slipped into a funk ever since leaving Wave behind. No one said anything about it, but he had caught several gazes from the Jounin glancing worriedly at Naruto from time to time. Naruto ignored the world around him, or more to the point, he was vaguely aware of the inside of his head and that of the world around him. Both places were depressing to him, but for different reasons.

On the outside, he had murdered several men. Having been told by Kakashi about the moments after Haku had been killed, Naruto ad blamed himself for the girl's death, and had thrown himself into the only training he had, tree climbing. He didn't pay attention to the fight that got started up over that between Anko and Kakashi.

Inside his head, things were more complicated and, also, more frustrating. The water level had not gone down in front of the Kyuubi prison. Also, the Kyuubi had not tried to talk to him at all for a long time now. He strangely thought back to those times when he wished the voice in his head would be silent so that he could think, but now that he had time to think, there was nothing to think about. Oh, sure, there was the fact that he was a blooded ninja now, but that wasn't the kind of stuff he wanted to think about.

He had looked in his sleep for the Kyuubi outside of the cage while they had been in Wave, and wasted so much time in the process. Calling for the creature-turning-human had been just as useless and even more frustrating, so he had done what others would have called insane.

He tried entering the sealed off prison. Tried being the key word.

Every time he had tried to force his way through the bars, he had been repulsed by the Kyuubi's overwhelming power. Although the space between the bars was transparent, trying to pass through them caused a sheet of red to ripple downward from the paper tag and throw him bodily from the bars. The harder he tried, the harder he was thrown away. The water could pass through, and the general junk in his head could float through just as easily, but he couldn't, which didn't make a bit of sense to him.

"Goddammit, Kyuubi!" Naruto shouted from the bars as he pressed his hands into the shimmering red veil in front of him. "Where the hell are you? I know you're in there somewhere! Come out and face me!"

"**That's kind of ironic, coming from your mouth."** The Kyuubi's voice echoed back from in the darkness, nearly flat and dead as it spoke. **"You sound like something we both know intimately..."**

"What is that supposed to mean?" Naruto felt a brief flash of relief in him before squashing it with irritation.

"**The Kyuubi brat has to be somewhere around here..."** Kyuubi's voice hissed with a mocking air, slightly slurring as if drunk. **"We know you're in there, you damn demon! Come out and face your executioners! Only you are different from them, aren't you? Instead of a bunch of angry villagers with broken bottles and pieces of wood with nails in them, you are a ninja, a killer..."**

Water splashed in the back of the cage, near his sight, but not close enough for him to see.

"**You can't even deny it now." **Kyuubi's voice had lost the drunken slur, but was still speaking in that flat, dead voice of hers. **"Even if you don't remember it, I do. I watched as you shredded them all with your claws. I tasted when you ripped chunks of flesh from their bodies when you bit down into them, felt the crack of bone as you bludgeoned them out of the way. Oh no, they didn't die quickly... If anything, they died screaming..."**

"That should make all of Konoha absolutely ecstatic then." Naruto spat at the floor. "The Demon finally shows his true colors and murdered all those innocent people, just like they one day knew was going to happen."

"**Only you're NOT Me!"** Kyuubi had rushed forward, kicking water up as she run, still as absolutely naked as when she had first taken physical form, only she had grown a few inches, and her hair had also grown, reaching to down behind her shoulders. She was just about up to his chest in height now, and he was a little shorter than average, which placed the Kyuubi about 7 or 8 years old.

He also noticed something that took the wind out of his anger. Her face bled crimson lines that were slowly starting to heal back up. Not just any kind of crimson lines, but the same trademark whisker like markings on his own cheeks that he wore constantly. Even as they were about to seal back closed, Kyuubi reached up with her hands and dug furrows into her face, cutting lines open to mimic the whisker like markings, even if they did bleed.

"**Just because you have those marks on your face doesn't make you Me!"** Kyuubi flicked a bloodied hand toward him, her blood sizzling away on the red veil Naruto still pressed against. **"Just because you killed doesn't make you Me, either! I want my body back! I want the freedom to go where I want, do what I want, Be what I want! I don't want to be in you any more! I want my life back!"**

Tears flowed from the red eyes of the Kyuubi, mingling with her open wounds and the rivulets of blood that trickled down her face, dripping from her chin. He stared in sickening horror as Kyuubi collapsed to her knees and cried in a wretched way, howls of sadness rippling along the water and echoed around everything. He could taste despair in the air from the presence of the Kyuubi in front of him.

Unsure of how to deal with her, Naruto came back to reality, feeling as Sanae and Kanae rubbed up against his legs. He petted both of them along their head as he watched the rest of his team and that of the kunoichi's that had been sent out to recover them.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto spoke quietly and those around him stopped as they listened to him, which kind of freaked him out. "What happened to Haku? I wanted to at least pay my respects to her before we left."

Kakashi eyed Naruto for a good, long moment. "What did she mean to you, Naruto?" His voice was as even as possible, so as not to incite something from the blond. He stifled a sigh as he saw the jealous look come over Anko's face as she stood behind Naruto, and produced a kunai from somewhere.

Naruto bit his lip slightly before seeming to come to a decision. "She was my best friend."

"_Hoo boy, this is gonna be bad..."_ Kakashi thought as he scratched at his chin. "You remember seeing that jutsu I was using on Zabuza, correct?" Naruto shrugged, as if unsure what he saw. "Well, anyways, the jutsu I was using was an assassination technique, made for one strike sure kill situations. I was just about to kill off Zabuza when your Chakra jumped, and things started to go oddly.

"Exactly, how do you use your solid Genjustu, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, changing subjects quickly. Naruto blinked before thinking long and hard about this. When he shrugged, Kakashi thought he had the answer.

"I think that you use your Genjutsu unconsciously to make things real, like with your Shadow Clones. What is happening is that your mind is telling your jutsus to become real because, to you, they are real." Kakashi watched as everyone started to get confused looks. "Before anyone interrupts me, let me finish Naruto's answer first." Seeing the round of nods, Kakashi made to finish Naruto's answer. "As far as I can figure out, your friend is still alive."

Naruto shuddered as something in him relaxed. _"So I didn't hear wrong? She's alive?"_ He looked down at the faces of Sanae and Kanae, doing his best not to cry.

"How can Naruto make a Genjutsu real just by wanting it to be real?" Sakura asked, utterly confused. Nothing in the academy books had said anything about this cockamamie idea.

"It's in advanced theory and jutsu control." Kakashi explained, the adult females nodding. "Your Chakra can take on element affinities, making it easier for some people to use Katon jutsus and others to use Suiton jutsus. This usually has to do with where you were raised, as there was a high number of Katon users in Konoha"

"Occasionally, you get those who have no element affinity. It's rare, but it happens." Yuugao explained from where she leaned against a tree, her hands crossed over her chest plate. "Those kinds of people never really have any major defining Ninjutsu, but they do excel at either being medics or Genjutsu specialists."

"There's also the Yamanaka's, who don't really have an affinity because their family techniques work on the mind and directly on the pathways of Chakra in a person. Even if they had an affinity, their mind skills wouldn't be able to manifest them, but that doesn't mean that they don't have an affinity." Hana spoke as she sat down on one side of Naruto, petting Mikoto as Anko quickly took the other side of Naruto, smiling in triumph.

"Do we have Chakra affinities?" Sasuke asked, curious as to what inclination he was. If he knew that, he could focus on the jutsus he was more prone to being able to use and speed his training up all that much faster.

"I just happen to have some special cards right here." Anko reached into her coat and pulled out a stack of white cards wrapped in a clear coating. "These cards are made from specially raised tree that are fed Chakra to help them grow. These things are expensive as hell."

Yuugao's eyebrow twitched as she watched Anko tear open the pack and hand out a few cards. "Since when do interrogators start carrying around of chakra cards?"

Anko smiled cattily. "You'd be amazed what can happen when you flood a person's Chakra coils with the opposite element they're attuned to. Makes them sing like little birdies..."

Sasuke stared a hole through his card, giving it the hardest frown he could, as if willing it to tell him everything. Naruto carefully looked at his card, holding it way out from him by two fingers, and only by the littlest part that he had to hold it.

Sakura held hers in her open palm and asked the obvious. "So, how do we find out our affinity?"

Anko raised her hand, pointer finger up in the air as she smiled. "All you have to do is channel Chakra into the hand your holding the card in."

Sakura looked down at her hand and channeled Chakra into it, starting with a little at first, then starting to put more and more into it. When it started to hurt, she finally stopped, looking down at her card sadly, which was refusing to do anything in her hand. _"Maybe they're defective?"_

"Looks like Sasuke's works." Kakashi spoke with an eye smile, getting Sakura to look over at her crush. His paper was beginning to crumble at the center, scrunching up into a ball on its own as the tips began to smoulder. "Looks like an affinity for Fire and Lightning jutsus. Kinda rare for a Genin two have two, but considering how the paper's reacting, they're still at the beginning stages."

Sakura glared hatefully down at her paper again. _"Stupid paper."_ **"Like a piece of paper can tell us what we're going to be doing!"**

"Naruto, are you going to use yours?" Anko asked, running her finger in circles on Naruto's cheek as she looked coyly at him.

"That's probably not a good idea." Kakashi sweat dropped, watching Naruto shudder under the touch of Anko.

Seeing the look Sasuke was giving him, Naruto knew that the Uchiha would practically glare at him all the way back to Konoha until it was out. Sighing, Naruto shrugged off Anko's hand and stood up, but not before starting to head out of the camp ground.

"Ah, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she watched Naruto leave. "Where are you going?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at the edge of the camp before taking the paper between his fingers firmly and channeled Chakra through his arm. Before the paper could react, Naruto took and threw it from the camp before diving for the ground and covering his head. Kakashi had already replaced himself with a log by the time the explosion occurred.

Fine pieces of sand came flying back into the camp area, stinging exposed skin as it flew through before it was over. Everyone but Naruto and Kakashi, who had returned after the all clear, were muttering dark curses about what had happened.

"I did try to warn you..." Kaashi lightly laughed at the red marks on Anko's face from its brief sand blasting.

"What the hell was that?" Sakura asked as she rubbed her forehead, which hurt the most.

"I tried getting Naruto's affinity a long time ago, when he was younger, or more to the point, the Hokage tried while I was present. Naruto's... Bloodline... overcharges the card, so it blows up before anything happens." Kakashi watched as Naruto flexed his left hand in remembrance.

"So, that means that Naruto will never have a element affinity?" Sasuke asked, spitting sand out of his mouth and rubbing his eyes in irritation.

"It's kind of hard to say." Kakashi scratched at his mask with one finger. "That your spitting sand out of your mouth either means the cards explosion kicked up enough dirt to throw it as far as it did. The other possibility is that Naruto's element affinity is earth, as a Chakra card is supposed to fall into little grains when you channel Chakra through it."

"_So, Naruto might be an earth style user."_ Sasuke thought to himself, considering the blond.

"However, since we never did see the card fall apart, it could be that he could have fire, or wind ability instead. It's even possible that he has three element affinities." Kakashi finished, smiling lightly.

"That's a bit of a stretch, Kakashi." Yuugao said from where she stood, thankful that at least she was on the protective side of the tree to avoid being struck with dirt in the face. "Genin's his age have a long time before they ever figure out what affinity they are. His Chakra affinity might actually shift to a water based one some time in the future."

"True, it may be that Sakura will gain an affinity and Sasuke lose one, maybe both." Sakura looked hopeful and Sasuke looked indignant. Kakashi shrugged before continuing. "Still, it's a long time off and not something we have to worry about any time soon."

"Let's get to bed early tonight." Hana spoke softly, calming her three dogs down. "The sooner we get some rest in, the sooner we can get home and to a real bed. I left my storage scrolls at home so we could continue tracking instead of getting real sleep."

"_I wish we had some storage scrolls. A blanket would be nice right about now."_ Sakura thought to herself as she laid down near the fire. Watching Team 7 find comfortable spots, the Jounin quickly decided who would take first watch and where at.

* * *

"You sure you don't know who she is?" Tazuna asked as he was herded to a small hut near the outskirts of the small village back towards the bridge.

"They found her floating out in the ocean." The thrity something man dressed in fisherman's clothing commented as he rushed ahead of Tazuna, who had been appointed Mayor as soon as the ninja had left. "She was bleeding a little bit from a wound on her chest, but we've bandaged that. Can't figure out for the life of me why she didn't die from hypothermia."

The old man pushed the door open, motioning for Tazuna to step inside. The local doctor, a old matronly woman with the barest experience with herbs was sitting by the side of a pale girl, a pink kimono hanging nearby dripping with sea water. The old woman gave Tazuna the eye, a look he got from his daughter when he returned home late and drunk, before giving the girl a sympathetic gaze.

"Has she said anything?" Tazuna asked, looking the girl over, her dark locks still damp.

"If she survives, she'll tell us then. Nothing to do but wait." The old woman said before giving both men in her doorway the look once again. "I would appreciate it if both of you went home now. Men folk just get underfoot when it comes to healing."

The girl shifted weakly, breathing labored as she hovered between sleep and awake. "Zabuza..." she muttered before sleep claimed her, the words going unheard to the rest of the room.

* * *

Hokage Sarutobi was not a very happy man, and the murderous glare he was giving Kakashi and Team 7 was a good indication as to what his mood was going to be for the rest of the day. He played with the sheet in front of him that was the recently returned team's mission report, one that Kakashi had hastily filled out before handing directly over to Sarutobi, who had then read it, forcing them to wait. The killer intent washing from Sarutobi had made all of their knees tremble, and it dipped to near nothing before shooting up well above what it had been before.

"Is this report accurate?" Sarutobi asked, his fingers running along the edge of the paper.

"It is, Hokage-sama." Kakashi answered clearly, calmly, and as smooth as silk.

Sarutobi glanced at the children, all of whom were nervously fidgeting in place. The girl, Sakura, looked especially pale and nervous as she unconsciously tried to place the two boys of the team in front of her.

"I have officially accepted this report. Team 7's mission is recorded as a success and will be categorized as an A ranked mission. You are all dismissed, however, I need to speak to Naruto and Kakashi." Sarutobi spoke levelly, pinning the silver haired Jounin in place with a death threatening glare.

Sakura and Sasuke gave Naruto a cursory glance before turning from the Hokage and leaving the room through the closed doors.

Silence reined for several minutes as the three stared at one another. The Hokage was reciting a list of jutsu in his head alphabetically before he let his anger free. Naruto was looking mutely between his sensei and his Hokage, wondering what was going through both of their heads, as their faces were so emotionless.

Kakashi was repenting all the Icha Icha he'd never get to read when the Hokage splattered his guts all over the Hokage Monument on the mountain outside.

"Kakashi," Sarutobi's voice slightly wavered in his restraint, "you will never ask for a special mission tailored for your team from me in this life or in the next. If you are late to a meeting that I call you for, the things Ibiki could do to you will seem like the gentlest touches from your loving mother by the time I'm done with you, do you fully understand me?"

"Crystal, Hokage-sama." Kakashi wasn't about to sweat in front of Sarutobi, but he did have a sudden need to hide in a bathroom for the next hour or so.

"Naruto..." Sarutobi turned sad eyes to his student. "I knew the day would come that you would have to take a life with your own hands. I just wish it wasn't while I was still Hokage of this village." _"I didn't want to have to explain to the council why so many people died from you finally snapping on some __poor deluded idiot..."_ Sarutobi thought to himself, wincing at the guilt the thought brought to him. "It says here that your 'Bloodline' activated..."

Naruto shifted in place, looking at the floor. "I channeled 'It'..." He whispered, ashamed of what really happened.

Kakashi did begin sweating when a fire lit in Sarutobi's eyes. "It?" Sarutobi asked, not taking his eyes from Kakashi.

Naruto fidgeted in place, shifting his shoulders back and forth as if suddenly finding his clothes too confining. "After I found out Haku was working for Zabuza, I don't remember much, but I do remember that I was glowing all red and stuff and I felt hot. I also remember anger, a lot of anger..."

"Naruto, go outside and wait with the three women who helped bring back your team. I need to talk to Kakashi in private for a moment." Sarutobi pushed his pipe away from him on his table, making sure to push the stacks of paper to the absolute edges of the desk so that he had a clear passage to Kakashi over the desk.

Sarutobi waited until Naruto left the room before asking the only question that mattered. "Do you think that Naruto has finally made contact with it?"

"Contact or not, he's definitely interacting with something." Kakashi shook his head in a non committal fashion. "He stares off into nothing at points, as if suddenly thinking about something else and continues on automatically, as if his mind wanders. Also, there's the incident where I found Naruto after all his Chakra had been forced from his body."

"What's your best assumption?" Sarutobi asked, bridging his fingers as he glared at Kakashi.

"That they're the mother of all screw ups." Kakashi again shrugged. "I looked at the seal, but haven't the faintest inkling as to how to make sure it's not breaking down. I only know how to see if it's still working, and to my eye, it is."

"Only one person can tell us if the Shiki Fuujin seal is breaking down, and he's on reconnaissance for me right now. If he left his position now and made his best speed possible. He'd make it back near the thirty day marker for the Chuunin exams." The Hokage sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. Thinking quietly for a moment, Sarutobi gave a reluctant order. "I'm rescinding all D Rank missions for your team. Your priority is to get your team up to snuff for the Chuunin exams. I am submitting your team for it."

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi's eye widened as he checked the Hokage's face carefully. "We barely survived that A rank mission, and you _want_ to place Team 7 into obvious danger?" The killer intent that the Hokage threw at him made him gasp weakly as Sarutobi leveled his eyes at him.

"I'm preempting the council." Sarutobi growled in warning at Kakashi. "This report will be common knowledge within a day's time, and everyone will practically be calling for Team 7's admittance whether they're ready for it or not. That is why you _will_ get them ready for it. Whether they actually show up to take the exam is up to them, but far better if the odds of their survival were much higher than they are now." He scrutinized Kakashi, whose knees were beginning to shake from the pressure. "Unless you know better than I?"

"As you will, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stuttered slightly before the pressure from Sarutobi dropped away.

"Your dismissed."

* * *

An hour later found Naruto walking up to Ichiraku Ramen, an order sheet in his hand from the Hokage directing him to go eat before depositing himself for an evaluation at the hands of Yamanaka Inoichi, Ino's father. He had enough things in his head, having a person shrink it for him was the last thing he wanted to have happen.

Quietly taking his seat at the stand, he watched as Ayame checked the broth for the noodles while Teuchi was in the process of making more fresh home made noodles for the broth.

"Welcome to Teuchi's!" The old man called, face still down as he rolled the batter into a log before picking a knife up and beginning to cut it into sections. "What can we get you?"

Naruto watched them wistfully for a moment, watching the happy symphony of peace work its way through their movements, how they knew when a customer had sat himself down without even looking all the way up to Teuchi and Ayame getting things ready for each other without having to ask. _"It seemed so long ago to him..."_

"One miso ramen, please?" Naruto called, watching as the well crafted ballet of father and daughter come to a screeching halt, Teuchi's knife in mid air over his head, and Ayame's ladle held hand stopped in mid stir. Both looked over at him with a look of surprise before Naruto was knocked off his seat from a well launched Ramen Girl glomp.

"Naruto! You're back!" Ayame squealed happily as she hugged the boy to her body. Naruto, too shocked to move, was beginning to suffocate being pressed that tightly to Ayame's bosom. "When did you return to Konoha? You look so thin, did you eat alright while you were gone?"

"Aya...mmph!" He got a little bit of breath in to try to stop the excited girl from smothering him only to have her pull him back into her, his mouth now full of ramen flavored clothing.

"Ayame, you need to let Naruto up from the ground. Also, he might like to breath on his own." Teuchi cackled at his daughter and favorite customer. It made his old heart warm to see Ayame actually take interest in a boy instead of thinking about her work all the time.

"Oh!" Ayame released Naruto's head, Naruto's face pulling away far enough to take a deep inhale of breath. Ayame's face was flushed with embarrassment as she leapt to her feet and ran back behind the counter. "A miso ramen! Need to make miso!" Ayame rushed back and forth in the stand, a whirlwind of work as Teuchi helped Naruto up from the road.

"Can't tell she missed you, can you?" Teuchi smiled, watching Ayame blur from one place to the next.

Naruto shook his head to make the world stop spinning as he headed back over to his seat. Sitting down, Naruto checked the note in his coat one last time before looking up at old man Teuchi. "It's good to be back." Naruto smiled at him.

Teuchi noticed that half attempt at a smile, wondering what was eating at the boy even as Ayame came rushing back up, the new bowl of ramen in hand as she placed it before Naruto.

"Here you go, Naruto! One bowl of miso ramen!" She even broke the chopsticks for him and placed them lengthwise across the top of the bowl before placing her elbows on the counter and her chin on her hands, smiling at Naruto happily.

"I'll go get him some healthy food to go with his ramen." Teuchi smirked at Ayame's blush before walking off into the back of the store.

Ayame watched Naruto eat, not noticing the exuberance that Naruto usually held for the starchy food wasn't where it usually was. She watched him take the chopsticks in hand, give her a hearty "Itadakimasu." and dug into the food before him, rolling the first mouthful of noodles before chewing and swallowing.

"Ya know, I'm a bit upset at you." Ayame mock frowned at Naruto, getting his attention with her words. "I had to go to Hokage twoer just to find out that you had a mission outside the village that was going to take longer than a day. Why didn't you say anything about being gone? I was worried about you..."

Naruto swallowed, before clearing his throat. "I'm surprised anyone said anything about me being gone. It's not supposed to be common knowledge for people to find out about undertaken missions."

Ayame smiled at Naruto. "That's cause I heard this guy with a scar over his nose like this," Ayame drew her finger over the bridge of her nose in a straight line, "and a pineapple ponytail complaining to himself as he walked out the tower about how you guys hadn't been heard from your mission to Wave and that he knew something had gone wrong."

"_Iruka-sensei."_ Naruto thought to himself. "He was more right than he knew."

"Really? Was it that bad?" Ayame asked, curious as to the story Naruto would tell her.

"We almost died a few times out there." Naruto scooped up a second helping of ramen, not seeing the frown on Ayame's face.

"I knew it was going to be dangerous for you to be a ninja, but I didn't think you'd be getting those kinds of missions until you got a lot more training." Ayame spoke, concerned for Naruto as she began to look at him closer than before.

"Let's just say that we're not going on any more of those kinds of missions any time soon." Naruto answered assuredly, eating a little faster as he started to unwind.

Seeing that the subject of talk was a bit stressful for Naruto, at least for now, Ayame decided to tell Naruto about developments at home. "Hey, Naruto, remember how I've been asking dad for awhile now for a chance to move out and get my own place? Well, I finally got dad to let me get my very own apartment."

Naruto looked up at her, sucking a mouthful of noodles into his mouth as she continued. "I'm not expecting much from the place, I mean, the entire building was just refurbished, and there aren't any tenant's except for this creepy ninja lady and her blond doll, but it is my first apartment, so I know I'm going to love it." She sighed in contentment as he watched, her eyes slightly misty from the image in her mind. "I just gotta wait for the landlord to come back from his mission. Apparently, a ninja is the manager..."

Naruto scratched his cheek idly. The place sounded familiar to him, though there must have been all sorts of refurbished apartment complexes all over Konoha. He didn't know of any that close to Ichiraku's, but there had to be at least one, if Teuchi was allowing Ayame to move out on her own.

* * *

"I'm very disappointed in you, Kakashi." Maito Gai looked a bit displeased at his drinking partner, his normally easy going face replaced with the stern, disapproving one.

"At least they all came home." Asuma spoke around the ever constant cigarette in his mouth, wincing from the elbow in his ribs from Kurenai sitting to his left. He patted Kakashi's shoulder in comiseration. "If it's any consolation, I've had pops chew me up one side and down the other for worse things."

"He almost killed my fishcake..." Anko seethed from the opposite side of the table, across from Kakashi as she viciously ripped into the dango on the stick in her hand. She quickly slammed back a saucer of saké in front of her before refilling it and repeating, her eyes glancing at Kakashi in agitation.

"But he didn't, which should go toward Kakashi's teaching skills." Hana drank directly from the saké bottle, forgoing the saucer altogether.

"I'd blame the old man, Tazuna, for tricking them into going in the first place. Lying on the mission paperwork got them into trouble from the start." Kurenai sniffed in disdain, miffed at the way Anko was acting and how Asuma wasn't taking anything seriously.

"I got off lightly." Kakashi groused, eying the saucer of saké in front of himself. "I should have been demoted or something for the screwed up mission to Wave."

"While things did go badly, the Youth that your students showed when Tazuna begged for their help was truly awe inspiring." Gai smiled, clenching his fist in front of himself as dramatic tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Still..." Kakashi shivered as he remembered the aftermath of Naruto's madness.

"Enough with the pity party." Hana growled as she placed her bottle on the table in front of her. "So the mission went south the moment you encountered those first two ninjas on the road, big deal. So your team faced off against Momochi Zabuza, one of the legendary Seven Swordsman of Kiri, big whoop. The fact is, your sitting here in your home village, your Genin are at home and safe, and no one was lost."

"Naruto did lose something." Kakashi shook his head at all of them. "Looking into his eyes, he's lost his confidence in himself, and I don't think he'll be able to find it again any time soon."

"Was it really that bad?" Kurenai asked, feeling something inside of her clench.

Kakashi looked up and gave all of them a hard stare. "He ripped them apart in ways that reminded me of the last ninja war." Asuma and Gai placed masks on their emotions, their faces curiously blank, though the women each took a different look from their own experiences.

"He'll get better." Hana swiped her bottle back up and drank hard from it, as if to help convince her that her statement was true.

"He ripped people apart with his bare hands and teeth. He crushed a man's head with his feet from a near four story drop off a bridge. Before all that, he had the only friend he had ever managed to have try to get him to murder her because she couldn't get it out of her head to be a person instead of a tool, and was convinced that being a failure, she had to be killed by him." Kakashi glared at Hana. "Twelve years of living hell in this village leading up to having the only friend he'll most likely ever have kill his partner, then beg him to kill her when he beats her... That's the kind of psychological crap that breaks a person..."

"It didn't break me." Anko commented, throwing her two ryo in to the conversation around a mouthful of dango.

"What about the Uchiha? You said something about him getting his Sharingan." Asuma asked, diverting that line of talk before it got started. Anko could be deadly with her dango sticks.

"Apparently, at some point before he was disabled, he was able to activate his Sharingan." Kakashi sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "All that stuff I wanted to teach him before his eyes activated now has to go out the window since they activated. It's going to be so much harder trying to slow him down and teach him properly than it was before."

"It is very Youthful of your students to want to learn all that they can." Gai smiled brightly, patting Kakashi's shoulder with a little too much force.

"Try saying that after having your student copy a punch perfectly, then having them try to use it without the muscle or the lesson on when to use the punch effectively." Kakashi reminded Gai, shaking his head. "He needs to learn as soon as possible that the Sharingan is a double edged sword, and it requires effort to truly learn something, not just to copy it."

"As fun as this all sounds, I'm calling it quits tonight." Hana stood up from her seat, her share of ryo on the table for her drinks. "There's most likely a lot of work at the clinic since the start of our retrieval mission, which means putting in long hours taking care of other people's sick animals."

Anko's ears seemed to perk as she stopped force feeding herself all the dango she could gorge herself on. "Speaking of which, where are your sisters at anyways?"

Hana snorted before smiling wickedly. "I told them they could stay with Naruto for the night, now that we're home and they can be alone with him." The hacking and coughing as she headed for the door that was coming from the table she had been sitting at made her feel all warm and fuzzy all over. "Now they got him warmed up, momma Hana's gonna take good care of Naruto..." She was gone out the door, barely ahead of the dango sticks that toinged audibly from the force they were thrown at.

"I'll kill her and her thieving mutts!" Anko gasped, finally getting the food down her throat. "Right after I go save my fishcake!" She shunshined away immediately, neglecting her part of the bill.

"I really need to find some way of reining her in." Kurenai sighed sadly, the embarrassment too much to stand, and yet far too much to feel sorry about since it was pointless at this point to care.

"You're not exactly her mother, Kurenai." Asuma sighed, finally having the creepy snake mistress gone so that he and Kurenai could be alone. Kakashi and Gai weren't even a consideration.

"She's trying to sleep with a barely there teenager with lots of emotional problems, the least of which was the last mission they just got back from." Kurenai gave Asuma a hot glare, disapproval rippling off of her.

"Let her love who she wants." Asuma replied, imagining his own love for the woman next to him and how they would eventually express that love for each other later that night. "Who knows when or if the Shinigami will come for any one of us next. If she can get something out of a kid his age, I whole heartedly approve."

Both Gai and Kakashi winced as Kurenai beat Asuma into an unrecognizable mess before slamming her own bit of ryo and that of Anko's down on the table and stormed out of the bar.

"Nothing to say in defense of your student, Kakashi?" Gai asked, staring at the masked man before him.

"I saw the burning eyes of death earlier." Kakashi replied smoothly, still staring at the drink before him. "I'm not about to tempt fate and a woman's righteous fury by opening my mouth when it comes to Naruto of all people."

* * *

He stared out at his village, wondering how they had fallen to this state after the last great ninja war. The ninja missions had becomed less and less until they were running only the missions to keep the village alive, basic water runs and messenger trips for the daimyo of the country. The turn out for the students had started to become less and less each year, as if the spirit of the village and its people were all his fault. In some ways, he imagined that it was his fault.

The greatest reminder of that stood behind him with his siblings, his sleep deprived eyes ringed in dark circles as cobalt blue pinpricks stared at him in disdain, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore the trademark dark clothing that hid him in the shadows of a cold desert night, the one white piece of fabric looped over his right shoulder and over his left hip to wrap around his body once flapped with the minute breeze whereas the brown, worked leather of the holster that held the what had to be several hundred pounds of sand in the form of a giant gourd with him made him all the more intimidating.

Then there was the tattoo on his left forehead in the kanji for 'Love'. As if chiseled into his head from his own blood, it matched the crimson tresses of his own fire red hair. Yes, if ever there could be something that the people could point at him and call him a failure for, it was his youngest son, Gaara.

"The Chuunin exams will be beginning in a few months. The target is Konoha." The Kazekage spoke firmly, looking to his other children to see their gazes.

The black clad body suit of Kankuro, his eldest son, was baggy on him, which played into the part of his deception. The white wrapped bandaged bundle on his back was secured via several bandaged straps running from his left shoulder to right hip. The sight of something brown and hair like poking out of the top of the bundle was a bit weird, but no weirder than the white undercoat and purple lined paint on his face in the traditional Kabuki style of painting. To add to the weirdness was the tufts his headpiece seemed to poke up into at the corners, making his head look vaguely cat like.

The blond shock of hair and blue eyes was his eldest child and only daughter, Temari. Hair tied back in four ponytails that bunched her hair up and off her neck, her clothing consisted of a purple undershirt with a white vest fashioned vaguely like a too short apron and tied off with a big red bow around her back. A dark aqua marine skirt that came down to only mid thigh on her let everyone see the mesh holder high on her left thigh that disappeared back under the skirt as for the right mesh 'sock' that wrapped around her right shin. Across her back, in the tradition of large, ungainly objects to carry, was her trademark battle fan, which was nearly as tall as she was, if not angled to the side.

"Oto has given us the option of striking first blood on Konoha, and I have accepted their proposal." The Kazekage saw the brief glance between the taller children, going over Gaara's head, but more than likely not going past the younger son's notice. "When the final part of the tournament begins, to will signal when the final preparations are in place and the invasion is to begin. It will be both of your job's to cover Gaara until..."

"Mother does not approve of being used like this." Gaara's nasally voice rasped from his lips, making the old man flinch.

"Are you saying that 'Mother' doesn't approve of all the blood she will get to taste?" The Kazekage egged his youngest son hesitantly. Gaara was a ticking time bomb of insanity wrapped in a very thing piece of mental balance. The entity known as 'Mother' as Gaara referred to it was mostly something his sleep deprived mind had created, but it was still a dangerous thing to taunt.

"Mother doesn't approve of being a dog of War for you to use." Gaara's mouthed turned upward in a sickly grin that screamed insanity. "She doesn't like dogs..."

"What she likes or not is not my concern, you will follow your orders, however." The Kazekage glared at Gaara, challenging the young man's authority, which should have been non existant.

"Geh." Gaara gasped as pain snapped through his mind, making him wince along with everyone else in the room. "Yes, Mother. We will go this one time to this place of leaves. We will taste so much blood there..." He turned and walked out of the room, holding his hand over the tattoo on his head as he talked to the voices only he could hear.

Both Kankuro and Temari watched Gaara go with a frown on their faces, glancing at each other before turning back to their Kazekage.

"Kazekage-sama. We may not be able to keep Gaara from slaughtering everyone at the exam." Kankuro began, trying not to draw the wrath of his father down on him. "If one person draws Gaara's attention, he might just kill everyone in his path to get to them."

"Which is why you are to keep him from getting close to anyone that might draw his attention." The Kazekage said as he held up a piece of paper. "I remembered this from a pact with Konoha that fell through during the time when they came under attack by some tailed beast some time ago. Take this to their Hokage tower and get them to put you someplace without people around, preferable far away from people. The paper should at least get you a clan holding to say in at least, and this clan specifically has only a few people living there."

Temari took the paper, having had to learn how to be an ambassador before a ninja, she read over the paper in detail before her face blushed brightly. "This is a wedding contract!" She shouted, Kankuro taking the letter from her to read over it himself, though he skipped the wordy parts to get right to the names.

"Of course it is." The Kazekage snorted. "Did you think a clan was just going to invite you into their homes without something as important as an upcoming wedidng?"

"Hey Temari, says here you get to marry some schmuck from a totally weak village." Kankuro chuckled, the playful mood brought on by the piece of paper stirring in him a feeling of happier times. "Good thing we're going to totally wipe out that place, ain't it?"

"Read the names again, Kankuro." Temari seethed, teeth clenched and grinding against each other.

Kankuro going back over the names at the bottom of the contract, Kankuro whistled. "Wow, how did he manage that?"

The Kazekage cleared his throat, staring hard at Kankuro who at least remembered to blush at the slip. "It was a marriage of alliance between one Kage's child and another. Fortunately, the fool killed himself trying to stop the tailed beast." The Kazekage motioned with his had to his children. "You have your orders. Prepare yourself for the exams, and do not fail."

He watched as his children saluted before heading out, closing the doors behind him. Staring down at the paper in a bit of sadness, he shook his head. _"It would have been different had you still been alive, but now I find myself making deals with a snake in the grass...Literally..."_ He traced the second name on the paper that was not his own, deep in thought. As his thoughts wandered, a shadowy presence climbed in through the window behind him. _"It would have been a different world if you had lived, Mina..eh?"_

The arm that whipped around his neck was all the chance he got before the sick snap of bones dislocating hurried the fourth Kazekage to the next world.

* * *

**I know, I suck, but gosh darn it, I know how to suck so good! ... wait, that didn't sound right...**


	18. Preparations

**Another chapter brought to you to offend the senses and make you wonder just what the Biscuit is smoking. I'm getting kinda good at that kinda thing.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, no ownership rights here...

* * *

**

"Blah" - Normal speech

_"Blah"_ - Inner Thoughts

**"Blah!"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura

**"Blah no Jutsu!"** - Jutsu casting

* * *

"It's nice of you to give me a hand around the shop while we talk." Inoichi spoke, smiling to the blond boy in orange as they watered plants around the flower shop. Naruto was carrying a bag of fertilizer with him and potting new plants as they went, transplanting the growing plants from one pot to another as needed. "The Hokage's note didn't say much about why you had been sent over here."

Naruto put his potting gloves back on as he knelt down next to a fern and checked it carefully before beginning the process of trying to transfer it to a new pot. "We just got back from Wave Country. I killed a lot of people."

Inoichi froze briefly at how calmly Naruto stated in a flat tone how he had killed people before internally cursing. "A bad mission, huh?" Inoichi glanced out of the corner of his eye at Naruto.

"We had to fight Momochi Zabuza and a student of his with a bloodline." Naruto answered, picking up the fern carefully from the pot and placing it in the larger pot, using a mix of potting soil nearby and the fertilizer to ease the plant into it's new environs. "When Haku..." the old pot that the fern had been in broke under Naruto's hands, and Naruto physically shook himself before beginning to clean the ceramic shards up. "When Zabuza's student looked to have been killed, Gatou arrived and tried to kill us with a whole lot of mercenaries. I channeled..." Naruto looked around the shop, specifically the door leading back into the Yamanaka house and the one leading out into town. "I got angry and killed all of them."

"_It's worse than I thought."_ Inoichi thought as he watched Naruto. "Are you alright? Killing is... never easy..."

Naruto picked up the ceramic pieces as he spoke. "Isn't that what a ninja is supposed to do?"

Inoichi watched as Naruto walked off behind the counter to get rid of the pieces. He had to mentally check himself to prevent over watering a spider plant as he watched the boy, who moved as if he was being sent to death row and deserved it.

"I'm home." The somewhat tired voice of his daughter, Ino, called out as she stepped into the shop. "Hi dad." Ino waved to her father as she headed for the door at the back of the shop.

"Ino, don't you want to say hi to one of your friends?" Inoichi asked, smirking at his daughter, who looked tired.

"I guess." Ino sighed as she stopped, leaning against the counter to look around the shop. Ever since hearing about Team 7's missing status, their Sensei's had been working them harder to make sure they wouldn't end up the same. "So, where are they?"

"Right behind you." Inoichi motioned with his head as he turned back around to continue watering the plants.

Ino turned around and shrieked as Naruto popped up from behind the counter, looking depressed. "Naruto!" Ino shouted at him, upset at being scared. "What the hell?! You did that on purpose!"

"Uh...hi Ino." Naruto waved to the blond haired girl, who was gritting her teeth at him. "We're back."

"You couldn't have told me normally?" Ino asked harshly, before sighing and placing a hand over her face. Rubbing roughly, she took a breath before weakly smiling at Naruto. "Welcome back, Naruto."

"I need to talk to Naruto for a bit longer." Inoichi spoke to his daughter. "When we're done, then you can ask him some questions about his mission. Until then, I'm afraid I have to ask you to give us some space, dear."

Ino nodded and headed for the back room before stopping and turning to look at Naruto. "It's good that your back and all, but how's Sasuke? You didn't get in his way on your mission, did you?"

The scene of Sasuke falling and supposedly dying flickered across Naruto's mind, making the blond wince physically. "I guess you could say that..." Naruto scratched lightly at the back of his head.

Ino frowned at him, and was about to continue her interrogation when her father spoke. "I really have to ask you to go, Ino. This is something the Hokage has asked me to do."

Ino looked at her father, then turned to look at Naruto. "You and I have to talk." Ino announced before leaving the room.

Inoichi smiled weakly at Naruto, not envying the boy in the slightest. _"When she gets that tone of voice, someone is going to suffer."

* * *

_

"I'm home." Sakura called as she opened the front door of her house, plodding inside.

"Sakura, is that you?" The voice of her mother, Haruno Sayuri, called from further in the house. The sounds of water running were cut off as the elder Haruno met the younger in the living room, her hands being dried by a quickly grasped hand towel. "Welcome home, Dear. It's good to see you finally made it back."

"I missed you, mom." Sakura spoke happily as she walked over and hugged her mom as tightly as she could, letting her insecurities disappear for the time being. "Sorry for not sending you any letters, being on long missions outside of the village are supposed to be secrets."

"I understand, dear." She kissed her child's forehead, catching a whiff of Sakura's hair. Crinkling her nose up, she leaned back from Sakura. "You, little girl, need a bath."

"Ah, yeah." Sakura released her mom and stood back, self conscious of the fact that it had been a day or two without bathing. "I kinda need a long soak in the furo, if that's all right with you."

"Well, if you get your bathing supplies, I guess we can skip dinner here and eat out after stopping off at the village hot springs. What do you say?" Sayuri stroked her child's long, pink hair. "Sasuke would have to give you a second look after reviving your beauty at a hot spring."

Sakura blanched, trying to wave her mom off. "Actually, I was hoping to stay home for today." She laughed weakly as she headed for the stairs. "I'm off to the furo!" She called as she rushed up the stairs.

Sayuri stared up the stairs of her house after her daughter, a frown on her face. Debating the merits of leaving her daughter to her own devices, she headed back to the kitchen to turn the stove off and placed the last of the dishes on the rack.

Sakura quickly scrubbed herself down from head to toe with her best shampoo and soap, scouring the dirt and smell from her as quickly as she could. Wave Country had been an absolute nightmare in terms of the mission and the cleanliness. Tsunami did her absolute best with her house and her supplies, but nothing competed with modern conveniences of a proper water heater and running water.

"Outhouses and water barrels for baths..." Sakura shivered in disgust. "Never wanna see one ever again..." If only Tazuna knew how to build a house as well as he knew how to build a bridge. "Least there was toilet paper..."

She rinsed herself off quickly, cold water pouring over her. She shivered involuntarily as the feeling of a cold mist wafted across her, and she bit back a shriek as a set of feminine hands grabbed hold of her shoulders.

"It's alright, honey. It's just me." Sayuri smiled as Sakura had whipped around quickly, the bucket she had poured over herself clenched in her hand as a makeshift weapon.

"Mom..." Sakura dropped the bucket, blinking at Sayuri in confusion before blushing lightly. "What the hell, mom? I nearly knocked you silly..."

"I did try to call to you, twice I might add, but you didn't seem to hear a thing I said..." Sayuri looked at her daughter worriedly. She'd never seen Sakura react so violently when she was surprised. "Did something happen on your mission, honey?"

"Uh...yeah..." Sakura looked around at the rest of the bathroom, trying to avoid eye contact with her mother. "You could say that..."

Sayuri pushed her child down onto the stool, taking a seat in the floor as she cinched the towel around herself a little tighter. She looked at the emotions in her daughter's eyes, wondering anew if being a ninja was really for her daughter. Having to sit there and hear the reports of the village people going out on impossible missions and barely surviving, or just never coming back...

"Care to tell a mom what happened?" Sayuri smiled to her daughter, coaxing her to talk. Sakura shook her head reflexively, eyes closed. Sayuri reached forward and took her daughter's hand in her own, squeezing lightly as she stroked the back of Sakura's hand with her thumb. "Can you tell your mom, please?"

Sakura gave her a worried look, almost frightened, that disturbed Sayuri. It had been a long time since Sakura had looked so vulnerable, when she had just been learning how to become a ninja. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, inhaled deeply, and began again. "We left Konoha not really worried about our mission..."

* * *

"What happened on your mission?" Ino asked, a no nonsense tone in her voice. She stared balefully at Naruto, daring him to lie to her.

"_About everything that could have gone wrong."_ Naruto thought to himself, frowning at Ino. Exactly what was he supposed to tell her? Anything he might say could be taken either as a lie, or that Sasuke had nearly died and Naruto had been unable to do anything about it. Shrugging his shoulders to Ino, Naruto tried to see where her mood was. "It's good to see you, Ino. Are you O.K.? You look well."

"Flattery will get you flattened." Ino made a fist in his face and shook it menacingly. "Your team fell off the face of the planet during your last mission, then we get the usual pep talk from our sensei about how things can go bad followed by a lot more training and D Rank missions. What the hell happened on your mission that freaked them out so badly as to make us work harder?"

"**Go ahead, tell her about all the people you killed. About going insane and slaughtering a number of men with your hands, and feet, and especially with your teeth."** Kyuubi sneered in his head. **"Waste more time and your sanity on people who don't understand us, who lie to us, who try to stab us in the back instead of becoming stronger than all of them. I can wait..."**

"Just drop it, Ino." Naruto turned and tried to walk away, only getting two feet before Ino shouted at his back.

"That's all you have to say to me? Just drop it?" Ino called to him as he walked off toward home. "It's no wonder you don't have any friends that care about you, except that clueless Hyuga girl. She practically broke down crying when she heard that you had gone missing!" He didn't stop or say anything about who the girl was, just kept walking away from her. "Fine! I'll just go ask Sasuke-kun what happened!"

She watched as Naruto turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Frowning darkly, she turned and headed off to Sakura's house. It would be nearly impossible to track down Sasuke, but Sakura would be a lot easier to find.

* * *

"This meeting of the Council of the Leaf will come to order." Hokage Sarutobi announced as the seats were quickly filled by both the ninja houses and the civilian council. He looked around the hall briefly, observing the feel of the room from the looks on the faces assembled here. "I understand that it is late and we would rather be in our homes, but I thought it was appropriate to allow this council to know that Team 7 was recently recovered from their mission which was grossly understated for it's parameters. All members of Team 7 have returned alive and successfully completed their mission."

Voices and murmurs of approval rumbled through the large stadium like room before Sarutobi motioned for silence. "Also on a related topic, Uchiha Sasuke has recently activated his bloodline, the Sharingan." More murmurs echoed in the room, these less than happy, though those were buried under the noise of the civilian council's approval.

"Hokage-sama." Nara Shikaku stood up from his seat, black pineapple hair that seemed to be the trademark of the Nara clan and a scar along his chin on the far right side and the mate to it above his right eye that angled down to his ear that were the notable looks to his face. "From what you've said, Team 7, specifically Uchiha Sasuke, has just returned from a deadly mission that was beyond their current Genin skills. What was the condition of the Uchiha upon his return to Konoha? Specifically, his mental state..."

"The mission specifics are sealed to my eyes only." Sarutobi announced, earning dark murmurs, but he raised his hands placatingly. "What I can say is that they were placed in a life or death situation on more than one occasion and remind all here that the only known way of activating a Sharingan is to place that person in a situation hat can very well mean death for the Uchiha."

Sarutobi watched as a masked ninja appeared at the hand of Danzo, folder in hand. Danzo accepted the folder, opening it casually and began to look over the inner findings of the file, which he had a suspicion that he was looking at a copy of the mission report he had just filed before calling this meeting to assemble.

"It says here that Uchiha Sasuke not only nearly died, but during the mission, it appeared that he had truly died in action, a victim of an interesting bloodline." Danzo spoke idly, inciting a panic in the council room. Sarutobi only just managed to calm the civilian council when Danzo looked up in surprise at him. "It also says here that Uzumaki Naruto alone slayed over 50 bandits and hired mercenaries in a 'Blood Frenzy' before killing their leader, who had been oppressing the island of Wave."

Sarutobi shot Danzo a dirty look as the civilian council erupted once again in shouting, this time openly calling for the blood of the Demon. Danzo sat back, resting his arm down at his waist in a preparatory stance, one he had never relinquished from his times during active service in the ninja corps.

"If this council can gain control of itself!" Koharu shouted at the top of her voice, standing up at her seat and glaring around the room. She wasn't as imposing as she once was, but she was definitely not a person to cross politically. "If you did not hear correctly, let me make sure you have all the facts! Uzumaki Naruto, the holder of the Kyuubi no Yoko, finished off the attacking force that would have surely killed Uchiha Sasuke! Wherever their Jounin was at the time being is irrelevant! He has single handedly brought back the Sharingan by protecting his teammate!"

"We can worry about the jinchuuriki later." Her partner, Homura, spoke up at the looks of doubt on the council's face. "What we do not need is another Itachi Uchiha rearing their head from the last user of the Sharingan. Indeed, we need to make sure that his recent involvement with his nearly failed mission has not mentally destabilized the boy to the point of psychotic schizophrenia with murderous intentions. There isn't an Uchiha clan to turn his attentions to in case he does happen to break mentally."

Many of the people shifted in their seats and muttered to each other quietly, now realizing for the first time how much trouble they may have unleashed upon themselves.

Sarutobi watched everyone, for once glad that they were not being the mindless sheep that they normally were when Naruto's name was mentioned in their presence. "Tomorrow, when the council convenes for their weekly meeting, we will discuss this properly, along with the rest of our business, as it is upon us this time that the Chuunin Exams will be held within our walls. Security will have to be tightened and arrangements must be made for our guests. Until tomorrow..."

Sarutobi turned and walked from the council room, for once, without a raging migraine.

* * *

Walking into his apartment, Naruto couldn't help but stop and take a deep breath. Although the room smelled slightly stale from the constant sunlight shining in and no breeze to cycle the heat out, he was finally home.

He took off the orange coat he'd been wearing since leaving the leaf village with some effort, feeling all sorts of sore muscles beginning to unwind from all the stress. The constant fighting, the anger, the disappointment from Wave, he just wanted a hot shower and to be able to put everything behind him for once.

He was about to step into his kitchen when the sound of knocking came from his door. Curious, and a little worried that he'd been followed to his home, he walked over to the door and opened it wide. He stood there in confusion, blinking tiredly, while a very familiar girl stood in front of him with a happy smile on.

"Good evening, Naruto-kun." Ayame chirruped happily, pleased with herself to have caught her blond friend flat footed. "Do you have a moment?"

Naruto's brain caught the question and automatically moved aside for her, allowing her to walk into his place before he realized what he was doing. By the time he had closed the door, he realized that Ayame from Teuchi's Ramen stand was in his living room, waiting for him to join her.

"Ayame? What the heck are you doing here? How did you even find this place?" Naruto vaguely remembered her conversation about finding an apartment complex and waiting for the landlord to come back home. She couldn't have been talking about him, could she?

"Well, I'm here to ask about renting one of your rooms from you." She smiled brightly to him. "How much are you charging for a room?"

Naruto blinked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm not renting any rooms out, Ayame. You can't stay here."

"Really?" Ayame frowned at Naruto as she tilted her head at him. She squinted her eyes at him, trying to catch him in a lie.

"Honest." Naruto nodded. "The only one living here right now is me."

Naruto's front door shattered inward as a larger-than-life snake made itself into a battering ram. The snake took a few seconds to stare at Naruto, its tongue flicking out from time to time before it shifted its gaze to Ayame, who was hiding behind Naruto's couch, peeking up over the back. The snake poofed away in summoned smoke, making both Naruto and Ayame cough loudly from the residual smoke as it faded away.

Naruto made a noise in the smoke that sounded like shocked surprise, and the sounds of a body collapsing heavily to the ground made Ayame walk around the couch to find whatever it was that fell. Maybe it was Naruto who had been struck down and he needed her help, though she berated herself for thinking that. What could a civilian do to help Naruto, a ninja, out?

"Don't worry, fishcake. Momma Anko's gonna keep that dirty dog woman away from you..." A creepy female voice moaned out from the floor, hidden behind the still fading smoke of the summon.

"Naruto? Are you O.K.?" Ayame called out between coughing, taking small steps toward the voices.

"What's this?" Anko hissed as her purple hair sprung up out of the fog near Ayame's hip, making the ramen girl shriek as she jumped back. Unfortunately, she hit Naruto's coffee table with her legs and fell backwards over it. "Another woman? You're not cheating on Anko-chan, are you, fishcake?"

"What the hell! Get off already!" Naruto shouted as he tried to crawl out from underneath Anko. Now that he was home, he wasn't about to be made into someone's cuddle toy.

Anko did stand up and ignore Naruto for a second as she idly spun a kunai on her finger. Standing overtop of the dazed ramen girl, Anko stared down at her. Brown hair, yellow top that was something of a blouse, but not quite, dark green skirt, and a white kerchief tied in her hair to keep her shoulder length tresses from getting into her face couldn't hide the fact of how plain the girl looked to Anko. Although she didn't look to have the conditioning of a ninja, her dark brown eyes were staring at her as if she were an enemy that was in her way.

"Who are you and why are you alone with my fishcake?" Anko asked, her kunai twirling faster on her finger.

Ayame shook her head before getting back up to her feet. "What the hell is wrong with you, lady? Do you normally break doors down with huge snakes then molest strangers?" Ayame grit her teeth in defiance at the trench coat wearing woman in front of her.

"For your information, civvie, I'm Naruto's bodyguard." Anko smirked at the shocked look on Ayame's face. "If I feel Naruto's in trouble, I can do anything I want to ensure his safety." Her eyes narrowed as she stopped spinning her kunai, taking hold of it to throw it if necessary. "Now, exactly why are you here with my fishcake at night all by your lonesomes? You weren't planning on taking advantage of him, were you?"

"No!" Ayame blushed slightly, but shouted none the less. "I came here to rent an apartment from Naruto when you came bursting through the door with your serpent!"

"Really?" Anko leaned in close to Ayame, Anko's tongue flicking out once before licking her lips slowly. "You don't have any interest in Naruto at all?"

Ayame's blush grew. "I've known him since I was young, of course, I don't have any interests in him!"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?!" Naruto shouted, getting to his feet at last. After having to deal with both Inoichi and Ino in the same day, then having his house broken into, he was a little short on patience. "Do you know how long it took to fix that door frame, let alone finding someplace that would actually sell me a door?!"

Anko turned her head and stared at Naruto, watching him carefully. As a member of Torture and Interrogation, she had to be trained to read a person's body language to know when a person was near enough to his limits that he was ready to tell everything he knew. Naruto's told her that he was near an emotional breaking point and was about to go ballistic if Anko tried anything funny with him.

"Like I said, I'm your bodyguard." Anko spoke calmly, addressing Naruto with respect. "I was ordered to watch you and protect your life."

"Is that so?" Naruto hissed as he turned and marched from his apartment, kicking the door once in passing.

Ayame sighed as Naruto left. "Great, and I was trying to move in tonight." She griped to herself as she glared at the female ninja who was still standing there, staring out the door. "I'm going to lodge a formal complaint against you about disturbing the peace."

"_That's the least of my concerns right now."_ Anko thought to herself, quickly putting her kunai away and following Naruto.

* * *

Yuugao cursed her poor fortune as she rushed to the Hokage tower, clothes sticking to her wet body. She had been in the middle of a shower when the personal summons to appear before the Hokage had her quickly shrugging on her clothing from her retrieval mission and rushing for the tower. She had even left her ANBU mask behind, which was a personal no no when your in the corps. So her mood was very poor by the time she appeared before the Hokage's doorway, the doors opening before her.

She glanced from the brooding Hokage, whose pipe was still smoldering in the ash tray near at hand. Hands clasped before his face, only his eyes peered out of the shadows under his hat. Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's desk, perfectly still as if sculpted from a piece of orange and yellow stone, staring at the Hokage with a scowl on his face. Anko stood nearby, though she looked less than happy about why they were here, that is, if she already knew why she had been called.

"Close the door behind you, Yuugao-san." Sarutobi spoke quietly, and for a brief moment, the hair on the back of her neck stood up on end in a form of premonition, as if what was about to be said was only for the ears of those involved. With the small group in the room, it had to be about Naruto. Closing the door, She walked over and stood behind Naruto's right shoulder, giving the Hokage a quick salute, hand across her chest and a slight bow.

"You called, Hokage-sama?" Yuugao spoke deferentially.

"I did." Sarutobi spoke calmly, though his eyes were hard. He glanced at the three in front of him before speaking. "Your protection mission is hereby rescinded."

Yuugao glanced down at Naruto, who had yet to move. _"So he knows then..."_ "Is there anything else, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi held up a sheet of paper and handed it to her. She looked down at it, reading over the paperwork quickly, her eyes rereading one specific line in particular. "When are they arriving?" Yuugao asked, handing the paper back to Sarutobi.

"They will be here one week before the Chuunin exams." Sarutobi spoke as Yuugao glanced at the back of Naruto's head. "When they arrive, I will direct them to Naruto's apartments. You will then introduce yourself to them in this form and you will be their guide if they need one. The Kazekage's children are to be treated with the greatest of respect."

"I refuse." Naruto spat, his voice full of anger. "You gave me the place to do with as I see fit, and I refuse to have anyone living in my building."

Sarutobi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. _"So much for not having a migraine."_ He opened his eyes, staring at Naruto. "It's an apartment complex, you own it. You must rent it out."

"That wasn't part of the deal, old man." Naruto glared at Sarutobi.

"The Chuunin exams are coming here to Konoha." Sarutobi gestured to a calendar on his desk. "As a person who owns a building with space available, you are required by the village of Konoha to make available any and all rooms for those who wish to stay in your building."

"So your telling me that I have to open my building up to people who want to stay there?" Naruto tried to restrain the shout.

"I'm saying that your an apartment manager with open rooms." Sarutobi stared just as hard back at Naruto. "You have a responsibility to this village to provide a place for people to live in peace and have their own lives."

"What about my life?!" Naruto shouted, done with trying to explain himself. "I don't want anyone to be around me! Don't you understand that?!?"

"This isn't negotiable, Naruto!" Sarutobi stood up behind his desk, glaring down at a boy he would have considered his grandson. "You will provide room and board for the people of this village and anyone else who wishes to rent a place from you! Period!"

Naruto reached into his pockets and pulled the keys out to the building. Slamming them down on the Hokage's desk, he turned and stormed from the room, making sure to kick the Hokage's doors open as he left.

"Should I go get him?" Anko offered, staring back at the open doorway.

"You won't have time to." Sarutobi sighed as he fell back into his chair. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out an ornate scroll and handed it over to Anko, who frowned at the decorations on the edge of the scroll. "I'm making you the proctor of the Second Task for the Chuunin Exams."

Anko handled the scroll hesitantly. She'd always wanted a greater hand in making the gaki better ninjas, but the Chuunin exams? "Sir, is this an order from the council?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "I think it's about time someone offered you a chance at advancement, Anko. You deserve it." He sat up straighter, picking up his pipe and giving it a tentative puff. "You've been a Tokubetsu Jounin long enough. It's time to earn your Jounin vest."

Anko eyed the scroll again, now frowning. Yuugao gave her reluctant partner a glance before looking to the Hokage. "Sir, what about my orders?"

Sarutobi nodded to her. "As you have been officially removed from Naruto's protection detail, you are returned back to ANBU for your regular duties. With the Chuunin exams about to take place, this means guard detail of the village up until the arrival of the Sand Siblings." Sarutobi shook his head as he picked up a letter from the Kazekage. "I have a feeling that there's more to this than what meets the eye." He looked up at both women. "You're both dismissed."

* * *

Having had enough of the current day, Naruto returned back to his apartment, lifting the door and placing it loosely back in place before calling it a night and heading to bed. If the Hokage himself wanted to come down and kick him out of his place, that was fine with him. Having his head shrunk followed by getting the third degree from Ino had left his patience on nil.

As he slept, his thoughts traveled back to Wave Country and Haku, who was still alive somewhere there. His mind played over the times they had sat and talked, only it was a conversation that they had never had before.

"So, you've finally killed someone." The pensive Haku spoke, staring down at the fire between them. Naruto didn't answer her as he poked at the fire weakly. "Do you regret killing them?"

Naruto remained silent, staring at the fire in front of him. He threw the stick he held in his hand into the fire, watching it catch and burn.

"Naruto, you did nothing wrong." Haku spoke quietly, jumping at the violent reaction as Naruto's foot lashed out and kicked burning logs to the left of them before standing abruptly.

"I did everything wrong!" Naruto shouted, hands clenched tightly. "I talked everyone into going on a mission we should have quit from the start, placed all of them in danger several times, nearly killed you on more than one occasion, and you still went and nearly got yourself killed! All because of my decision!"

"It's not your..." Haku was cut off again as Naruto kicked the log he had been sitting on repeatedly.

"How the hell can you say that?!?" Naruto bellowed, his frustrations at their limit. "I thought you were my friend, but in the end, you were my enemy! I nearly got Sasuke killed because I couldn't do anything but spam those useless shadow clones around! Only when Kyuubi gave me her power did I even have a chance against you, and even then, I was trying to rip your throat out!"

"That's what ninja's do..." Haku was near the point of crying as she watched Naruto melt down in rage.

"That's what Animals do!" Naruto looked around for anything else to kick, to bludgeon. "I killed those people like an animal, carving my way through them with my hands and teeth!"

"Naruto! Stop!" Haku grabbed him from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist as she pulled him against her body. He struggled, trying to fight her off of him, but she refused to let go of him until he flung extra hard to free himself from her, only managing to drag the both of them down to the ground.

He laid there, emotionally empty as she held him to her body. "Listen to me, Naruto." He didn't make a noise or move, spent totally from his emotional venting. "I did care for you, cared enough to want you to live." He didn't care anymore, he couldn't care anymore. It hurt too much to care. "You gave me something I had forgotten about that Zabuza couldn't give me, no matter if he tried to or not. You were my friend, the only one I ever took for myself."

Haku rolled him to lay on his back as she clambered onto his chest, looking down into his face with tears in her eyes. "You allowed me to be your friend, my strength, and I'm so grateful to you for it." She leaned down to his face, placing her lips to his in a kiss that was soft and gentle. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, something that took the pain away from his chest, he hardly noticed her body against him. She removed her lips from his, his eyes closed as he tried to remember this moment in time.

"I love you..." Haku's voice was replaced with a deeper, masculine voice that had Naruto's eyes snapping open, to stare up into the face of his sensei, Kakashi, as the man eye smiled down to him, his body replacing that of Haku's. "Never forget that, Kyuubi..." The masked ninja leaned down toward him, eye closed.

Naruto violently threw himself from his bed, landing on his face as he woke up, planting his face in the floor as his mind rebooted. Sitting up on the floor, his legs tangled up in his blanket, he looked around frantically for his teacher before sighing to himself.

"**Kakashi sensei..."** Kyuubi's voice crooned lightly in the back of Naruto's head, followed by a soft snore.

Naruto's left eye twitched in annoyance.

* * *

Sarutobi walked with Ibiki through the stone halls of the Interrogation and Torture corridors. Once a month, he tried to come down here to check on his people and their methods for extracting information from their enemies, including traitors from their own village. It wasn't because he was worried about them, but was more worried about them becoming to desensitized to live among the populace of Konoha safely. Sometimes, a I & T specialist just couldn't deal with having people around them anymore and ended up leaving the village, choosing to become Nuke Nin instead of getting the needed downtime that all of them were required to take.

"Any more progress with Mizuki?" Sarutobi asked as they passed the man's cell, silence the only sound coming from inside the room.

Ibiki glanced back at the door briefly, a frown on his face. "He hasn't said anything since being brought in. We've about exhausted all our resources without maiming him." Ibiki turned back to look forward, staying in step with Sarutobi. "What should we do with him, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi grimaced, he had been hopingto get some kind of information out of Mizuki to explain his sudden lack of regard for Konoha, but the man had been tight lipped about his contact, or even why he decided to betray a secret of such importance to Naruto. It went against everything that spoke of common sense, Mizuki of all people knew the Hokage meant it when he threatened to kill someone for breaking that law.

"Once the Chuunin exams are over, execute him as a traitor. I want you to make an example of him." Sarutobi didn't like having to give that kind of order, but there could be no exceptions. "Has he said anything?"

"Strangely, yes." Ibiki shrugged. "We still gave him some serums to prevent lying, but everything he's told us has been the truth from him. I'd almost say that he's confessing his sins before he dies."

Coming to the doorway leading into one of the lesser used interrogation rooms, Ibiki opened the door and walked in first. Making sure the room was secure and that the prisoner wasn't about to break free, he nodded to Sarutobi, who walked into the room.

Momochi Zabuza stood, chained to the walls and the floor, slumped over where he stood. His eyes were closed, but his chest didn't heave with the strain of sleeping held upright as his arms were held suspended up and back behind him.

"Have you come to ask me more about Mizu no Kuni?" Zabuza opened his eyes, the bandages normally wrapped around the lower part of his face missing as he stood up straight. "I see, you've brought the Hokage to see me."

"Momochi Zabuza, I have a problem that involves you." Sarutobi spoke firmly, eying the Nuke Nin. "From your confession, turning you in to the Mizukage would be pointless in garnering any kind of chance at peace with them."

Zabuza snorted. "You have a better chance of convincing Yuki no Kuni that they're a tropical resort."

Ibiki glared at Zabuza. "You are in the presence of the Hokage. Watch your tongue."

Zabuza eyed his tormentor for the last few days before nodding. "Forgive my rudeness. It's been awhile since I was in the presence of my betters."

Sarutobi studied Zabuza for a moment before considering his next words. "Due to the fact that Mizu no Kuni is now impossible to approach, the question becomes 'What do we do with you?'" Zabuza stood there and watched Sarutobi in silence, unable to do anything but wait. "We can't let you go. You know how we extract information from out prisoners and can sell that information to anyone for asylum, which will weaken Konoha. Also, it is unprecedented that we allow a Nuke Nin to join Konoha. The possibility of you escaping is too high a risk."

"The answer's simple." Zabuza spoke, looking Sarutobi dead in the eye. "You have to make me disappear."

Sarutobi considered the man. It was true that no Nuke Nin had ever been successfully incorporated into a village once they had abandoned their own village, but the information that Zabuza had given them willingly rubbed at Sarutobi. _"I'm getting too old for this."_

"Send for Yamato. I want him to take Zabuza into custody." Sarutobi spoke to the room, Ibiki looking a little surprised at the old man.

"You're letting him go?" Ibiki asked, illiciting a brow to rise on Zabuza's face.

"I'm offering you a chance." Sarutobi spoke to Zabuza, his face a hard mask. "You were once one of the greatest swordsmen of the hidden mist. It will be difficult for you at first, you will have many restrictions on you, most particularly that of a constant body of guards around you at all times. You may never earn your place in Konoha to the point that you have any kinds of freedom for yourself." He peered into Zabuza's eyes, looking for any hint of deception. "Will you work for Konoha and that of the ANBU corps?"

Zabuza stared at the Hokage silently for a moment before beginning to laugh in his throat. The laughter built in Zabuza's throat until he started to laugh in a crazed manner, the chains holding him to the walls shaking with his body. His laughter slipped to a dark giggle as he locked eyes with the Hokage. "You wanna offer me a job with your little tree huggers with the possibility of never being free? Do I get to kill anyone as an ANBU?"

Sarutobi smiled darkly at Zabuza. "Only if you can kill the people I direct you towards."

* * *

"So, how do you all feel?" Kakashi eye smiled to his team as they stood in training ground 11. Looking back and forth between his students from the angsty Uchiha, the shell shocked Haruno, and the blushing Naruto, they looked to still be feeling the stress of the last mission. Kakashi eyed Naruto without being obvious about it as Naruto kept glancing at him, then looking away, his face remaining flushed.

"I've got some news for all of you." Kakashi reached inside of his loose vest and pulled out three folded sheets. "These are application sheets for the Chuunin exams in a month's time." Sasuke and Sakura perked up at the mention of the Chuunin exams while Naruto continued to try not to look directly at Kakashi. "Depending on your training in the next three weeks, I'm going to be submitting your names for the exam. You'll need these sheets to have access tot the exam as they will give you instructions on where to meet, when to meet, and what the exams will involve."

"Kakashi sensei." Sakura spoke hesitantly. "Is it really alright to put us in the Chuunin exams? We haven't even been Genin for a year yet."

Kakashi closed his eyes, working quickly to think of a good excuse that would sound plausible in his mind. "Considering that we all survived an A Rank mission in one piece, I'd say you have the potential to survive the Chuunin exams, which could be rated as a high B to a low A rank event. Still, we did nearly fail that last mission, which means working you all until you drop from exhaustion, then working you some more."

"So, where do we start?" Sasuke asked, giving his sensei a cool stare.

"Sakura is going to spar with Naruto until she can hit him." Kakashi lifted his finger in front of him, beginning to direct his students. "Sasuke will be with me for a little while so I can explain what the Sharingan does to a person when in use and why it shouldn't be used all the time." Sasuke frowned at this, but said nothing. "Naruto will be helping Sakura train her body up more while his shadow clones make laps up trees."

"Shadow clones can learn Chakra exercises?" Sakura asked, blinking at Naruto whereas Sasuke sneered at Naruto.

"Technically, no." Kakashi spoke, observing his blond student, who was now shifting in place. "Shadow clones have a set amount of Chakra in them, and when they run out, they disappear. His clones will be trying to conserve as much Chakra as possible to run up trees while not using too much or too little, which will make them pop when they fall off, they will send back the lessons of the control to him, helping him put a tighter control on his already overly large Chakra pool."

"So while he's working with Sakura..." Sasuke muttered, now slightly assuaged.

"He'll be gaining a closer balance with his physical and learning not to use too much Chakra to do any one thing." Kakashi eye smiled to all of his students. "Sakura, you may use any skills you want to try and hit Naruto, including blunted weapons and jutsus, if you know any. Naruto, control yourself. Putting Sakura in the hospital is not the purpose of the training exercise."

Sakura blanched at Kakashi while Naruto nodded. Nodding to his students, Kakashi walked off with Sasuke, beginning to tell him about his own observations of what the Sharingan did to him while Naruto and Sakura stared at each other, the pink haired girl worried she was going to get hurt while Naruto was busy talking to the Kyuubi.

"**I was not dreaming about your sensei."** Kyuubi sniffed, indignation in her voice.

"_So your trying to tell me that I was the one dreaming about Kakashi pinning me to the ground and kissing me?"_ Naruto scoffed in his head as he watched Sakura fidget in place. _"I clearly heard your voice last night calling out to my sensei."_

"**If your going to tell lies, at least make them believable ones."** Kyuubi growled hotly. **"What would I see in a scarecrow who reads out of that little orange book of his all the time? What's in that book anyways that's so important, anyways? Have you seen the look women give him when he reads that thing?"**

"_I don't exactly pay attention to things like that."_ Naruto muttered as he waited for Sakura to choose when it was the best time to attack, she was slowly working herself up to attack. Watching her reminded Naruto slightly of Hinata and her indecisiveness as she tried to convince herself to do something. _"Not like I care about what the villagers are looking at, ya know? And don't try to change the subject. I know for a fact that you were dreaming of Kakashi, I heard you call out for him."_

"**You were imagining things."** Kyuubi growled deeper, her anger rising. **"Drop it if you know what's good for you."**

"OK, Naruto." Sakura finally finding the inner strength to face him had her fists clenched as she crouched slightly. "Here I come."

"**Does she even realize that pink hair is the tackiest color in the world?"** Kyuubi asked, mild disgust in her voice that made Naruto boggle for a moment and nearly earned him a fist to the face. "Hold on, Sakura. I have to make my clones." He danced out of the way, quickly making the hand seal and bringing several clones into existence, who quickly ran off to go climb trees.

"What were you doing while I was getting ready? You weren't staring at me, were you?" Sakura asked, her face crinkling up in anger.

"**Oh, what does she have to be concerned about?"** Kyuubi said scathingly. **"With a body like that, it's amazing she hasn't had girls trying to mate with her let alone... Wait, have we ever seen any males trying to mate with her?"**

Naruto full body twitched.

"Ha! I knew it! You were thinking about me naked, weren't you?!" Sakura pointed her finger at Naruto, her anger rising. **"No blond idiot pervert is going to ogle our body and get away with it! Cha!"**

"**Aw, look at that."** Kyuubi cooed. **"She wants to mate with you."**

Sakura charged at Naruto, fist drawn back in anger as she rushed the blond ninja, intent on trying to put her foot in an orifice that would prevent sitting properly for the next week. Kakashi and Sasuke stopped what they were doing to watch as Sakura began to chase Naruto around at the top of her voice, trying to beat him senseless.

"They're getting into their training a little too much." Kakashi spoke lightly, Naruto running up one tree to jump off and over Sakura, giving him a moment for Sakura to reorient herself before giving chase after Naruto again.

"Why was I placed on this team?" Sasuke asked, clearly disgusted as Sakura tried harder, starting to use hand signs on the run.

* * *

She tightened her obi off, checking her senbon one last time before turning to the old woman who had gotten her back up to health. "Thank you for taking care of me. I only wish I had some way of repaying you."

The old medicine woman nodded from her seat by the fireplace, the sound of the sea coming through the walls from nearby. "Is it so necessary to push yourself like this?" The old woman stared at the fireplace, listening as the girl checked her herb pack. "You're not nearly back to perfect health. Push yourself as hard as you are, and you may die."

"I'm already dead." The girl muttered to herself as she opened the door. She turned to the old woman and bowed in thanks before stepping out the door and losing it behind her.

The old woman shook her head. "Youth... If not for luck, so many children would die from it."

The girl walked up the slope by the newly constructed bridge, placing a large wicker hat on her head to obscure her features as she began to head across. Stopping to look at the name of the bridge as an old man took a sheet from off the arch people had to pass through, her eyes watered slightly before hardening.

"Excuse me." The girl asked as a pudgy old man stepped back to look at the sign himself. "Does that name have some importance?"

The old man grinned wistfully. "It's the name of the savior of Nami no Kuni." Tazuna shook his head. "If it wasn't for him, Gatou would have walked over all of us."

"I see." The girl said quietly. "Where does this famous person live at? Maybe I will see him on my journey?"

Tazuna blinked, glancing at the girl beside him. "You're better already? That's super!" Tazuna patted her shoulder harder than necessary, but she didn't say anything about it as it jerked her. "Konoha, the hero of our island lives in Konoha."

"Konoha..." Haku muttered to herself before bowing to the old man. "Thank you for telling me. If I see him, I'll make sure to tell him how much of a hero he was." She walked past Tazuna, her gaze ice cold as she begun to walk to Konoha, and to find Uzumaki Naruto.


	19. Gathering of the Gales

**Well, it's Official. I was dead for awhile there. Had to escape from hell to post another chapter in this series, but I'm finally back to do it. Now we'll see if what I wrote was worth the wait...**

**Disclaimer: Don't Own It, Don't Wanna Own It, Don't Wanna Pay The Taxes For Owning It...

* * *

**"Blah" - Normal Speech

_'Blah'_ - Thoughts

**"Blah!"** - Kyuubi/Inner Sakura speech

**"Blah no Jutsu!!!"** - Jutsus being used

**

* * *

"Keep Going!"**

It had been three weeks of non-stop training. Kakashi had pushed them as best as he could, physical training for Sakura, mental training for Sasuke, and control training for Naruto. Sakura still wasn't ready for the Chuunin exams, but at least she wouldn't drop dead at the first sign of trouble.

Sasuke's had been, strangely enough, more about not using the Sharingan than it had been about using it. Kakashi had explained over and over again about the draw to copy everything in 'literal' sight and how the body just wasn't able to perform some of those jutsus that his eyes could decipher. It didn't seem to make a difference in the way that Sasuke treated anyone, with barely constrained contempt.

**"Pump your legs! Don't just use your momentum to move!"**

Naruto's training had been two fold. Helping Sakura to fight, which raised his avoidance from attacks, and having his clones burn themselves out on tree climbing. Sakura's attitude toward him had mellowed some since coming back from Wave Country, but she still had a short fuse with him when it came to Sasuke, and he exploited that by taunting her when she began to tire.

His training with chakra control, unfortunately, wasn't working like Kakashi said it would. More to the point, he had way too much chakra to do it the easy way Kakashi had given him.

**"Focus! Slipping from this height will simply slow down your training!"**

Which is why Kyuubi had taken control of his chakra training and had him using the tree climbing exercise on the Hokage monument in the middle of the night, where no one who cared about him could watch him fall repeatedly from a killable height.

_"Why did I listen to you again when I agreed to do this?"_ Naruto mentally griped as he started running along the underside on the Third Hokage's chin, the effigy being the hardest to run across as he ran upward.

Kyuubi grinned viciously. **"Even I could tell you barely felt anything while your clones ran circuits up and down those trees. The stamina they had is comparable to your own stamina, and their bodies gave out first before their chakra reserves did, which did nothing for your training."** They still ran four hours in circuits all the way up, backflipped off the trees, then repeated, not mentioning the few that simply couldn't focus on what they were doing. **"Your stamina sucks, so we're going to get that up at the same time as your control!"**

_"You do realize that no one runs up Hokage Mountain like this for a reason, right?"_ He'd never heard of anyone doing training like this. This was the kind of work that Fuzzy Brows and mini Fuzzy Brows would consider hard work. If they saw this...

He shuddered at the image it caused.

**"Those two weirdos scare me..."** Kyuubi shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to get rid of the image Naruto had of the two. **"How can my kareshi consider that green wearing weirdo his eternal rival? It's stupid! There's no comparison!"**

Naruto shivered for a wholly different reason.

**"You've got a week to get ready for the Chuunin Exams. Dying is not an option, because I won't let you."** Kyuubi giggled darkly as Naruto shivered uncontrollably again.

Unfortunately, it was to be his downfall, literally. His foot caught a piece of rock wrong and felt it shift, making him instinctually call on more chakra to keep his foot in place as he attempted to keep running upwards. It was too much as the stone underfoot pulverized, blasting him off the face of the Hokage monument and into a long freefall earthward.

**"Well, I guess this is the most you can do."** Kyuubi sighed in his head even as Naruto looked up at the ground racing to catch him. **"If you black out, I promise to make sure that you feel the pain in it's entirety when you wake."**

Naruto didn't bother to answer. He didn't have the time.

* * *

"You have been gathered here for one simple reason." Sarutobi began, glancing around at the various Jounin in the room. "The Chuunin exams will be beginning within the next week. I want your honest opinion of your team and your nomination." He eyed Kakashi, wondering if the Jounin was going to back out at the last moment, and hoping he'd try. That Wave mission hadn't been forgotten in the three weeks since they'd been back.

"YOSH!" Gai shouted as he stepped forward, fist raised in the air dramatically. "My team's youthful fire is prepared for their most challenging mission yet! I nominate Team Gai for the Chuunin exams!"

Sarutobi nodded, marking down on his sheet Team 9's registration. He missed the silent conversation between Asuma and Kurenai as Asuma smirked before stepping forward.

"Team Ten is as prepared as I can make them. They have the necessary teamwork and skills to pass the Chuunin exams. I nominate them." Asuma smiled, watching as his old man nodded before filling out Team 10's registration.

Kurenai glared at the back of Asuma's head. It seemed he was serious after all. "My team is still new and could use the time to the next exam to learn a few more things I wish to impart to them, however, I believe that placing them now into this exam will do them a world of good. I nominate Team 8."

Sarutobi looked up at Kurenai who nodded to him before he tilted his head down and filled in Team 8's registration.

Kakashi didn't like what he was about to do. "I nominate Team 7." The death glare Kurenai pinned him with was nearly as bad as when they returned from Wave.

"You can't be serious!" Iruka shouted from the side of the room, making a public copy of the Hokage's decision for the records. "They barely survived their mission in Wave and your throwing them back into something so dangerous as the Chuunin exams?!"

"Iruka!" Hokage Sarutobi snapped at Iruka, who ignored the rebuke.

"What the hell kind of sensei are you to place your Genin in danger like this?!" Iruka was nearly around the table when the Hokage finally unleashed his Killer Intent.

"He is the sensei of Team 7 and has the final say about whether his team is ready or not!" The Hokage bit off harshly in the silent room.

Iruka looked as if he had more to say, but with the Hokage glaring at him, he acquiesced. The Hokage knew what was best, afterall. He would just have to realize that the Hokage must have had something in mind for Team 7 if this was not being contested as it should be.

"Three rookie teams in the Chuunin Exams." the whispers had already begun.

"This is going to be an Exam to watch this year."

* * *

"So, this is Konoha." Her hair was matted to her skin, the condition of her clothes was close to rags. It had taken her nearly a month to walk to Konoha, unable to use her skills taught to her by the only man who had ever mattered, she kept under the radar as a street urchin that had lost her village due to a raid by bandits.

Hungry, tired, near to exhaustion, she would have collapsed and died long ago, except for the need she had left in her. She didn't feel vengeance anymore, she didn't feel malice, she didn't even feel rage anymore. All she felt was cold.

"Naruto-kun." Haku muttered as she stared upwards at the gates before her, the ninja guards standing by the entranceway.

It wouldn't be long now. She'd sneak into town somehow, and when she found him, she would take him with her into death, her last gift to Zabuza-sama.

* * *

"Ok, we're done for the day." Kakashi called to his students. Sakura looked like she was about to drop from her constant fighting with Naruto whereas Naruto looked to be completely bored with training Sakura. Sasuke was still going over handsigns for a new jutsu he had been working on since coming to training today, but had not used it just yet. "I've some good news for all of you." Kakashi watched as they gathered around him and he gave them his patented eye smile. "You'll be needing these."

Sakura looked over the sheet of paper Kakashi was handing out to all of them. Her eyes glanced over the sheet in her hand until they passed over something that made her freeze.

"By Sakura's reaction, she's realized what she's holding." Kakashi observed, hinting at the importance of the sheet. "Congratulations. You've all been signed up for the Chuunin exams."

Sasuke smirked slightly, already planning on what this would mean. If he could complete the Chuunin exams, he'd be one step closer to catching his brother.

"You have a week to decide if your going to join in the Chuunin exams, but there is one requirement that you have to take into consideration." Kakashi said seriously, looking back and forth at his students. "All of you have to decide if your going to be a part of the exam, or not. I can sign you up for it, but it's ultimately your choice to go."

"I'm not." Naruto answered immediately. He glared at Kakashi for handing these sheets out to his team, daring Kakashi to say something about his decision.

"Oy, Dobe." Sasuke spoke, glancing over at his blond teammate. "Don't tell me your scared?"

"Naruto." Kakashi spoke softly, staring at the defiant face. "This is a chance for advancement."

"Not for me, it's not." Naruto answered immediately. "The council would never allow me to be promoted."

Sakura blinked, confused. "The council? What do they have to do with the Chuunin exams?"

Naruto shrugged and turned his head away from Sakura. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Kakashi stared at his blond teammate before sighing. "Well, in any case, those of you who are going to take it should show up at the directions on the sheet at the time specified. Make sure your not late, as you will not be allowed in after the time has expired. Team 7, Dismissed." Kakashi shunshined away, several leaves in the area being picked up by the wind that was created by the jutsu.

Sakura bit her lower lip as she glanced down at her sheet. The Chuunin exams was a big step in a ninja's career, ultimately opening them up to harder jobs and more dangerous missions. It also meant breaking up their Genin team, as a Chuunin was forced to work with whoever to meet the needs of the mission assigned to them. It meant not being with Sasuke-kun...

"Sasuke-kun, do you wanna go out for lunch?" Sakura asked tentatively to the raven haired boy, hoping that this time, he would accept.

"I'm busy." Sasuke shot her down without even looking back as he headed over to a training log. There wasn't time for dating the pink haired girl, she wasn't strong, and she couldn't help him get strong either. He needed strength now. It was going to be unfortunate that Naruto wasn't going to fight in the Chuunin exams. He never assumed that Naruto was that strong.

"Oh." It hurt, every time he dismissed her like that. Something inside of her curled up a little tighter and withered away with every frank comment from him.

"Hey Naru..." She hadn't even realized that Naruto had started walking back into town. His back gave him an imposing cast, as if he was walking into a war zone willingly, knowing that he might not come back.

_"He's changed."_ She thought to herself, walking after Naruto back into town. _"Ever since Wave, he's been more driven. It's as if he blames himself for killing all those people."_

_**"Can you blame him?"**_ Inner Sakura asked. **_"He did kill all those people on the bridge by himself. He's not the little boy from the academy anymore, and what's worse, I'm scared that he might turn and kill us as well."_**

Sakura shivered. Naruto's eyes, whenever she looked into them, weren't the clear blue she thought she remembered anymore. They were still the bright blue on a bright summer, but there was a shadow in them, worse now that they had come back from their mission. Naruto walked around a corner, disappearing momentarily from sight. She picked up her own pace as she walked around the corner, almost trippng over a mobile box painted to look like a rock, if rocks were square and had eye holes in them.

She stopped and watched incredulously as the box camouflaged to look like a rock shuffled a few feet, stopped, then shuffled a few more feet, following after her blond teammate.

She followed behind the box, watching as it shuffled from hiding place to hiding place as it followed Naruto down the street, if you considered hiding behind a street pole and a garbage can hiding places.

Naruto turned another corner ahead of her, and the box quickly raced up to the corner to follow after the blond ninja only to jump backwards as Naruto stepped back around the corner, staring down at the box in annoyance.

"Konohamaru, a rock doesn't have sharp corners like a box." Naruto sighed sadly, guessing as to the box's contents. That the Hokage's grandson tried so hard was endearing, that he seemed to forget simple things like logic wasn't.

The box shuddered momentarily before bursting apart in a mighty cloud of smoke, the sound of three people coughing from within the cloud self evident.

"Too much smoke, Konohamaru..." The nasally voice of another boy muttered, coughing as the smoke began to clear from ground zero.

"There's no such thing..." Konohamaru coughed and hacked, a fist in front of his face as he came into sight. Once he could get his coughing under control, Konohamaru jumped to his feet, pointing dramatically at Naruto once again. "I'd expect nothing less from my rival to notice us as quicly as you did!"

Jumping back, the two kids that were in the box joined him as they began a sentai pose. "Konohamaru!"

A second boy dressed in blue with circular rimmed glasses turn and adjusted his glasses on his face as he did his pose, going for the brainian look. "Udon!" He shouted half heartedly, his voice nasally as a drop of snot hung from his nose.

The third, a girl with ginger hair that stuck up in a gravity defying V over her head, did her own pose as she turned in spot, exuding overly cute and innocent. "Moegi!" She called out loudly and happily.

"Together we are..." Konohamaru announced as the two joined him in the end. "The Konohamaru Corps!"

Naruto still stood in front of them, clearly not impressed.

"So, uh.... How ya doin, boss?" Konohamaru asked, smiling as he stood up normally, a hand reaching to the back of his head and scratching lightly as he waited for some kind of response from Naruto.

"This really isn't a good time, Konohamaru." Naruto sighed slightly, his disappointed stance fading slightly as he relaxed. "What are you doing out here anyways, and who are your friends?"

"Oh yeah, I met then at school, this is Udon, and Moegi." Konohamaru waved to his two friends, who were waving hello to Naruto. "We're gonna be on our own ninja squad when we graduate! Isn't that cool?"

Sakura watched as Naruto's eyes lit up slightly, even though he was still clearly annoyed with the boy in front of him and his little group. Feeling better just from watching Naruto come back to himself, even just a little bit, Sakura approached from behind the kids. She wanted to laugh when they suddenly realized she was behind them as they jumped in the air and spun to look at her, the ginger haired girl running over behind Naruto and peeking out from behind him.

"Hey, Lady, whatcha trying to do? Give a buncha kids a heart attack?!" Konohamaru was gripping his chest as he gulped large breaths down.

"And you guys are attending the ninja academy?" Sakura needled at them, grinning slightly. She remembered when she was as young as them. Nothing to worry about except homework and coming home all dirty. "Naruto, do you know these guys?"

"Hey boss, you know this chick?" Konohamaru had turned around and pointed over his shoulder, so he missed the look Sakura gave him for calling her a 'chick'. Sakura watched his eyes flicker toward her and that gleam he had dim a little. "Wait, I know, she's your..." Konohamaru held his pinky up in front of him, grinning mischeiviously.

Naruto winced as a vein stuck up on Sakura's head. "You really shouldn't talk about her like that while she's standing behind you, Konohamaru..."

Turning around, Konohamaru swallowed slowly as he carefully began to inch away from Sakura. The opressive feeling coming from the girl made his skin crawl with pinpricks and he had one last thing he wanted to say before running for his life. "Heh, guess your right boss." Sakura calmed down and Konohamaru smirked. "She's too ugly to be your girlfriend." He said happily before turning and running as fast as he could, his friends seeing Konohamaru flee did as well in their own directions, lest the pink haired girl come after them.

Sakura froze for a brief moment as the words echoed in her head before she snapped, her eyes shrinking down to pinpricks. "Come back here and die, you little brat!" Sakura shouted as she gave chase, both of her hands clenched tightly into fists.

Naruto watched them run off momentarily before sighing. Watching how exuberant Konohamaru could be made him feel old and remember when he was that young before Konoha had worn away his youth. Shaking his head side to side, Naruto jumped up to the nearest roof and chased after Sakura, who had turned a corner giving chase to Konohamaru.

He caught himself short when he heard Konohamaru's surprise and a third voice complaining in the side street they had turned down. Coming up to the edge of the roof, he looked down at the kid who was holding onto Konohamaru by his shirt and part of his scarf as Sakura stared helplessly at the man in black clothes with a strange bundle of something wrapped in a long strip of bandage with brown hair coming from the top.

"Kankuro, stop it. What if Gaara sees this?" A girl with four blond pigtails sticking from the back of her head berrated the black clothed boy. Naruto took a better look over the side of the building as she was leaning up against the building under him. Making sure she wasn't going to join her friend any time soon, Naruto returned to focusing on the black clothed boy and Konohamaru.

"Kids need to respect their elders, sis." The boy chuckled at his wit as he looked over at the blond haired girl. "I'm just doing our neighbors a favor by teaching their kids some discipline."

Kankuro drew his fist back to take a punch at the kid in his grip when he felt the air displace in his hand and a blur happen around the kid. He let go and jumped back as the replacement technique finished, leaving Naruto standing where Konohamaru was being held at just a moment ago. Naruto glared at Kankuro, whose face was in its customary kabuki coloring of bright white with purple lines.

Temari's eyes narrowed at the blonde haired boy who basically stole the little kid out of her brother's hand, glancing up to the roof above her where she had felt the chakra spike a second before Naruto shifted places. The little kid was looking down from the roof, slightly scared from the height, but was none the less ok.

_"A replacement technique that overwhelmed the kids chakra, I can understand, but to overwhelm Kankuro's as well? He doesn't look like he's old enough to be a Jounin, maybe a Chuunin?"_ Temari thought as she pushed up away from the wall and made to walk over towards Kankuro. The blond boy's eyes flickered over to her, marking her as she moved.

"Hey, I was in the middle of something with that kid." Kankuro spoke darkly, upset at having his fun removed from him.

"I don't care if your here for the Chuunin exams or not." Naruto growled as he spoke, a shimmer starting to ripple up around him. "You don't treat someone's kids like trash."

"And what are you going to do about it, blondie?" Kankuro slipped the strap over his shoulder from his arm and pulled the wrapped bundle down in front of him, slamming it to the ground.

"Kankuro!" Temari knew that her brother had been itching for a fight since arriving in Konoha, but she thought he wasn't this bad. "Gaara will be back any moment!"

"Naruto, it's ok, you really don't have to fight him..." Sakura called to Naruto, the shimmer beginning to take on a very distinguishable red tinge around the blond boy's body.

"That's right, kid." Kankuro smirked as he glared at Naruto. "You need to get your boy under control before he gets his ass handed to him."

"She was trying to make me stop before I hurt you." Naruto's nails began to grow and his canines started to enlarge in his mouth.

"Excuse me?" Kankuro's smirk dropped and he began to glare hotly at Naruto.

Naruto opened his mouth to talk when a stone came out from above and hit him in the back of the head, jerking his head from the impact. He glared up and over his shoulder at whoever threw the rock, the anger he was feeling jumping at the sight of Sasuke gently tossing a second stone up and down in his hand.

"Oy, Dobe." Sasuke called to him from where he reclined along the branch of a tree, staring down at the people in the side street. "You're not about to cause more trouble, are you? They look so weak..." Sasuke smirked as he caught the stone in his hand and began to crush it slowly in his grip, dust and dirt trickling out from his grip.

"You Konoha shinobi don't know who you're messing with." Kankuro reached to unravel the bundled wrap when a dry, raspy voice froze everyone where they stood.

"That's enough... Kankuro." Kankuro and Temari's widened as they looked toward the voice of their youngest sibling. All eyes were drawn to a red headed child with a red tattoo on his brow over his left eye, said boy standing upside down on a branch opposite from Sasuke on the opposite side of the tree. "Your a disgrace to our village to challenge our allies in their own home."

_"He's going to kill me..."_ Kankuro thought to himself, even as he tried to defend himself. "It's not my fault, Gaara. This little kid ran into me and then..."

Gaara continued to glare at Kankuro, his eyes boring into the older brother until Kankuro realized that he was actually digging a deeper hole with his brother, and Gaara wasn't known for patience to begin with.

_"I didn't even notice him standing that close to me. Who is he that he can get that close without giving himself away?"_ Sasuke thought as he jumped down from his tree to stand near Naruto, who was still emitting a slight red glow.

Making a half ram seal in front of his face, sand wrapped around Gaara in a quick whirlwind of grit before he disappeared, appearing in a shunshin of sand next to his brother. "We will discuss this once we have talked with their Hokage."

"Wait a moment." The three sand siblings stopped, glancing back toward Sasuke, who had called out to them. "What is your name? I'd like to know who to look for in the Chuunin exams."

"You must have a death wish." Temari smirked, hand on her hip as she turned to face Team 7. "You want to find out our names, do your job and be a ninja."

Gaara glanced at his sister, who shivered from the glare her brother gave her before she stepped back. "My name is Subaku no Gaara." He turned and began walking away, not deeming to listen as Sasuke tried to tell them his name. They weren't worth the time to be acknowledged, and his mother was beginning to stir.

Sasuke watched as they walked off, the glances from the black clothed guy and the blond haired girl telling him without saying how lucky he was just being able to be ignored by them. He wasn't sure he liked the fact that he was being ignored by the foreign ninjas, or the fact that they listened to the smaller of the three, but there was one thing for sure that did upset him.

"Naruto," Sasuke turned around, staring into the angry eyes of his blond teammate, "we're going to be a part of the Chuunin exams."

Naruto turned around, pushing past Sakura. "Do it yourself." Naruto muttered back, his clawed fingers crammed back into his pockets.

* * *

Tsume sat at the table in the kitchen, going over what she had heard from her daughter and the copy of the after actions report filed by one Hatake Kakashi. It hadn't been easy to get the file, it had been worse puzzling through the holes in the paperwork that had to be omitted for secrecy sake, but what it was telling her wasn't very good.

"Was it worth it?" Kuromaru growled from his spot on the floor, glancing up at his 'master'.

Tsume sat back, working over her thoughts before answering. "Well, he's blooded now, just the way you wanted him to be."

Kuromaru snorted. "He was already blooded from his younger years. Civilians don't get the same reaction as a life or death struggle does."

"He was also too young to understand what he'd done at the time being." Tsume added as she picked the paperwork up and gave it a disgusted toss. "I don't think Hana even knows the half of what Naruto went through on that mission."

Kuromaru sat up from where he lay and looked at Tsume. "If he keeps going the way things are, then I'd be surprised if Hana didn't drag him into the clan kicking and screaming. Even if she did, I'd make him the head of the clan before even your son."

"Which we can't do as he wasn't an Inuzuka to begin with, and something that shouldn't have even been hinted at." Tsume glared down at Kuromaru. "Where's that loyalty that's the trademark of the Inuzuka clan?"

"There's loyalty, then there's facts." Kuromaru walked around the table, grabbing the back of the chair seat so he could pull out a spot to sit at before jumping into the seat to stare at Tsume. "If Hana brought him into the clan, I'd follow Naruto right after following you. He's lived the no nonsense life of a survivor, and won't put up with silliness from anyone."

Tsume frowned as she stared at her partner. "What happened to him being bad for Hana?"

Kuromaru snorted. "You asked what I thought if Hana brought him into the clan. You didn't ask my opinion about what I thought of him."

Tsume nodded, then asked the question that made a difference in her mind. "Would he be accepted in the Inuzuka clan if Hana were to marry him?"

"Never." Kuromaru snorted in derision. "He smells too much of his jailor, which makes no sense to me. On top of that, he's a wild dog. He'll turn and bite the hand that feeds him."

"I see..." Tsume murmured as she sat back in her chair, deep in thought. She sat that way for several minutes, Kuromaru staring a hole in her while she tapped a finger on the tabletop. Coming to a decision, she took the paperwork from Team 7's mission and placed it back in the file in front of her before picking it up as she stood. "We're going out." Tsume barked, heading for the door.

Kuromaru jumped from his seat to meet his partner at the door leading outside. "Where are we headed?"

Tsume smiled viciously down at Kuromaru. "My daughter's vet. As the next head of the Inuzuka, she's gotta make her own big decisions, and make them stick, no matter who tells her no, right?"

* * *

Hinata was a woman driven when it came to two seperate things. The first was trying to improve herself to be seen as worthy in her father's eyes, a hope she was beginning to imagine was never going to happen, and it broke her heart all the more with every day she accepted that truth.

The other, given the right circumstances, turned the young Hyuga heiress into one of the worst acts that a person could conduct on another.

A stalker.

There had been moments, very close moments, when the temptations of using her bloodline to watch her target at all times, in all circumstances, had gripped her in a chokehold that left her gasping for breath. It had only gotten worse when she had begun to start developing early, her hormones kickstarting her physical changes and sending her on an emotional roller coaster over the one person that she'd willingly die for.

She had waited for Kurenai to come back, that had been her reasoning. Standing at the gates of Konoha on the day of her return, she had chased the fine line of chakra exhaustion as she pushed the limit on her Byakugan to see as far as she could for her teacher. Although Kurenai sensei hadn't gone on the mission, that was the excuse, and no one seemed to bother to ask ninja about missions when there was retrieval mentioned in why they were gone.

The ache in her eye sockets was worth it when he came into the absolute limit of her range. Although her vision was washed out white, it was impossible to not see him even from that far away as his chakra raced furiously through his body, a contained firestorm of light blue racing through his pathways.

She felt the knots in her stomach release as he started to come closer, the details becoming more distinct the closer he raced to the gates of Konoha. She couldn't help but to smile at seeing him alive and unharmed, his body free of any scars or bandages, the usual indications if he had been wounded. She hiccuped once to herself as her emotions started to come undone, until she looked into his face and the knots turned into a cold stone in the base of her stomach.

She'd seen that look on his face many times through the five odd years of watching Naruto since his seventh birthday. She had heard that Naruto had begun school two years early, and it had made her sick to think that she'd never have the chance of being on his team with him. The look of determination on his young face scared her slightly, even more so when he tried to smile at her, and the smile never seemed to look right on him.

She had gone to see him at the Hospital one day, he had gotten laid up for at least a week, no one telling her why, only that he deserved what he got. The words made her angry, a rare emotion she never indulged in. She could take whatever anyone said about her, but she wanted to break their tenketsu pathways for every harsh comment that was cast in Naruto's name.

When she walked in to his room, he had been heavily bandaged, the creepy snake lady that was Kurenai sensei's friend standing in the corner, eyeing her with barely contained malice as she spun a kunai fast enough to make a whizzing sound as it cut the air. Naruto didn't shift his head as she came closer to him, but he did physically clench his body the closer she moved toward him.

She placed a pot with a single flower in it, a white gardenia, wanting to express her thoughts to Naruto without having to say anything. He turned his head enough to look at the flower out of the corner of his eye, his eye following the stem to the pot and back up to the flower, a young plant in innocent bloom.

She smiled weakly to him as he looked at her, uncomprehending the simple act of a gift. The hollow, broken look in his blank gaze made her shiver and she wanted to hold Naruto to her to take away the emptiness that he had in him. Instead, she expressed her desire for him to get better and left soon after.

She stepped out of sight and waited as they came into Konoha, watching them from the safety of a corner, her eyes seeing through the wall to the people discussing with each other their desire to get cleaned up before heading off to inform the Hokage of their success, Team 7 heading to the Hokage Tower to report directly to the Hokage himself.

She needed answers. If she was going to find the reason why Naruto had that look on his face, she needed to find out what had happened on her sensei's retrieval mission, and that meant following Kurenai sensei instead of Naruto. It would be impossible to hide from the Jounin Genjutsu Mistress, maybe people had tried to follow her teacher only to be caught in a vicious illusion that taught them quickly to stop their bad habits.

A few ninja had been placed on administrative leave until specialists or Yamanaka could put their brains back together again. When they were put back together again, they were quickly demoted, usually when other, less reputable incidences were found out while rebuilding their psyche.

Hinata was walking with Kurenai to Kurenai's friends place. Apparently, once they had gotten back, something had happened with her friend that warranted a visit to this Anko's house. More than likely, it had to do with something the Snake Misstress of Konoha had been accused of again, as she hadn't been seen anywhere in town, or even at her job. Hinata didn't care which it was, as long as she got to find out about what happened to her future husband.

They came upon a secluded building away from the main thoroughfare of Konoha, a rebuilt apartment complex from the look of it. Several floors high, the place didn't look lived in except for one balcony that had silken under things hanging from a clothesline on a high balcony and a very familiar person carrying several packs of shingles in his arms as he marched up the side of the apartment building.

"Looks like your working hard, Naruto." Kurenai smiled as she stopped, allowing Hinata a moment to gather her wits at the sight of the young girl's crush. "Did Kakashi teach you the tree climbing exercise?"

Naruto stopped where he was on the wall, about the third story up, and looked over his shoulder at the voice. His unreadable mask was on, but he did at least open his eyes when he was it was Kurenai and Hinata. "Ohaiyo, Kurenai sensei. You didn't come to visit me, did you?"

Hinata seemed to wilt a little when Naruto didn't call out her name, and her nervousness started to work over into her finger pressing together in front of her as she tried to hide in on herself. Kurenai figured she'd give her student a chance to be alone her Naruto, it made her smile when her young student blushed outrageously. "No, but maybe Hinata did?"

Hinata would have died from embarrassment right then and there if she could have willed it. This wasn't what she was here for, she wasn't prepared to be alone with Naruto. She wanted information on him, not private time with him! Well, yeah, she wanted alone time with Naruto, but she was still too young for that.

"Sorry, Kurenai sensei. I'd like to, but I'm in the middle of training." Naruto finished walking up the side of the building, raising the shingles over his head and tossed them back down to the ground below. Then he picked up several more packs of shingles and tossed them down beside the first one. "If your looking for Anko-san, she's been in her room all day."

Naruto jumped down to the ground by the shingles he'd just got done moving to the top of his house, picked several up in his arms, and began walking up the side of the building again. It wasn't that he was trying to ignore guests, heck, Kurenai was one of the people he'd stop what he was in the middle of doing and entertain for as long as she wanted to stay. Hinata however had been fixated on him ever since he'd saved her when she had been young, and it was a bit creepy being around the girl for long periods of time, as she'd sit and watch him in a sort of fangirl worship whereas Naruto would wish he was anywhere else but there.

Sasuke had it worse, but he didn't have nearly as devoted a fanbase as Naruto did.

Kurenai wasn't sure Hinata was ready for a close encounter of Anko. She glanced at her ward, the young Hyuga still blushing as she watched Naruto headed back up the side of the building. "Maybe you want to stay and help Naruto with his training, Hinata?"

Hinata hesitated. She would be spending time alone with Naruto, just the two of them.

"I... would like to go with you, Sensei." Hinata murmured, poking her fingers in front of herself self consciously.

Kurenai smiled lightly to her ward, nodding to her. They took the stairs up to the third floor and down the way to the room with the underthings hanging from the back of the apartment. Kurenai knocked several times on the door, and it was several trips up and down the building for Naruto before Anko opened the door, her eyes bloodshot and her hair unkempt.

"Oh, it's you, Nai-chan." Anko muttered as she turned around and walked into her apartment, her trenchcoat her only clothing.

"Anko, your landlord is running laps up and down your building, put some clothes on!" Kurenai berrated her friend as her student followed her into Anko's apartment.

"I can't be worried about clothes rightn now." Anko muttered darkly as she took up a seat on her couch and began sorting through papers on the coffee table in front of her, ignoring the righteous anger of Kurenai and the paralyzing blush on Hinata's face. "Hokage-sama gave me this impossible task to finish in a few days, and I'm not even close to having anything planned out."

"Close your legs, you pervert!" Kurenai shouted as she took a chair to separate her student from Anko. Looking down at the papers in front of Anko, she picked one up and looked it over. "Aren't these the plans for the Chuunin exams?" A scary thought passed through her. "Wait, Hokage-sama put you in charge of part of the Chuunin Exams?!"

Anko nodded sadly, even while Hinata tried not to look at Anko, who crossed her legs under her in front of guests. "Hokage-sama thought it would be a good thing for me to learn how to do this, and if I do good at it, he'll promote me to actual Jounin." Anko sighed as she dropped her head in misery. "The problem, though, is that Hokage-sama is putting a huge risk on Konoha by having me as a proctor for the exams. If I can't think of something really nasty, then Konoha will be made a laughing stock."

Kurenai sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Anko had it nearly as bad as Naruto did when it came to the council, though there was still a huge margin of hate aimed at the boy for being in their midst whereas Anko was the student of their greatest shame.

"If I promise to help you, will you at least put some underwear on? I think Hinata's about to overheat." Kurenai glanced worriedly over to Hinata, who looked as if her head was about to pop from embarrassment.

Anko glanced over at Hinata, shaking her head at the look on Hinata's face before collecting herself and stepping into her bedroom. Kurenai shook her head at her friend before picking up several of the sheets on the table and began going over them for ideas. Though Anko's writing was a bit sloppy, the general idea she had wasn't bad considering it was Anko. They all tended to be pretty brutal, cruel, and sometimes a bit ingenious when it came to what she was aiming toward, but she could see that the scale she was trying to use just wasn't going to work out.

Kurenai heard Hinata gurgle in a strangled voice and Kurenai glanced over at her student, who suddenly looked murderous and gut punched at the same time toward Anko's bedroom door. Turning to look up at the bedroom door, she could understand why her student would act that way.

Anko, finding a pair of panties to wear with a chibi fox print on the front of them, came walking back in sans coat, which would have left her breasts exposed had it not been for the strategically placed doll she was carrying in front of her with a depressed look on her face.

That the doll looked exactly like a full sized Naruto was not a coincidence.

"I swear, Anko, I'm taking you to the Yamanaka's for therapy for this..." Kurenai cursed under her breath as Anko sat down on the couch, snuggling against her life sized Naruto doll.

"Seen my notes?" Anko asked as Hinata began to seeth where she sat. "I know I'm doing the scale all wrong, and yeah, bringing in Genin from other villages into the Interrogation and Torture section of Konoha is a no no, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do." Anko sighed as she slumped into her doll, it's face nearly against hers. Hinata's teeth grated against each other as Anko nuzzled the doll's cheek. "I just need to find a larger place to work with to weed out the little whiny brats, some place that will both challenge them and make them struggle for all their worth."

Kurenai didn't think it was that hard to figure out. "Wouldn't training ground 44 be perfect for what you want to do?"

"That was my first idea." Anko said as she rooted around on the desk with one arm while holding the doll to her bosom. The fact that she leaned down to show Hinata that the doll was pressed up against her teat caused the young Hyuga to twitch violently. Holding up a sheet, Anko handed it to Kurenai. "The problem being is how do I make it look like we're not actively trying to kill everyone off not a part of Konoha?"

Kurenai stared at the paper in her hand for a moment, reading the details. "Why do you need this many ninja? The Forest of Death is dangerous enough for Genin squads on their own, and you want to send in ANBU to pick them off one at a time?"

"The Forest of Death isn't that dangerous." Anko scoffed, sitting back, shifting back and forth as she opened her legs up. "I happen to find it homey and very calming." She grinned brightly as she laid back, her legs wrapped around the Naruto doll as she held him close. "I'm hoping to have my honeymoon there."

Kurenai would be hard pressed to explain later if she was asked what happened in the next few moments. An enraged feminine shriek came from the vicinity of Hinata, followed by the Hyuga girl launching herself bodily with a speed bordering a Tokubetsu Jounin as she lunged over the table between herself and Anko, who could only blink in confusion at the Genin.

There was a grab, a quick struggle, followed by the sound of fabric ripping and cotton flying into the air, followed by a deep lamenting yell of "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

* * *

People in Konoha wondered at the weird relationship of Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi. The men had an unspoken agreement between them about their relationship and how it wasn't anyone else's business but their own and maybe Kami's, yet the story of their one upmanship challenge they had officially gone through was the stuff of weirdness and whispers, usually done in their very own presence.

The reason Gai had tracked down Kakashi this time was not for that challenge.

"Kakashi." Gai wasn't smiling, which was a good indication that what Gai had to say was serious business. "You have to do something about your most youthful student."

Kakashi continued to stare at the memorial for the fallen Konoha ninja that had died in the line of duty, all signs pointing to ignoring Gai in the hope that he'd go away.

"I respect the fact that you are trying to train him while trying to protect him at the same time, but his newest training gives me cause for concern." Gai crossed his arms before him as he took a pondering, yet powerful, look. "I've seen how he is throwing himself into his training when not with your team, Kakashi. His training methods border on the single mindedness of my own student, Lee."

Kakashi continued to stare at the monument, letting the past linger for just a little bit longer.

Those who knew Gai would honestly tell you that the man didn't know how to get mad, a perky person in green spandex that was full of hyperactivity. Kakashi was starting to push his buttons, though.

"Have you even noticed your other two students, Kakashi?" Gai asked, sending a glare into Kakashi's back.

"I'm doing my best, Gai." Kakashi spoke as he turned his head to look at Gai over his shoulder. "I have to make sure they can survive the Chuunin exam, and that means I have to push them to their limits and beyond those if necessary."

"Then why did you volunteer them for the Chuunin exams if your pushing them so hard?" Gai asked,

Kakashi sighed. He knew what it meant when Gai became as serious as he was. "I had my reasons, Gai."

Gai didn't reply immediately as he eyed Kakashi, who had yet to turn around and look at him. "I'll accept that, for now."

* * *

Sarutobi read over the paper in his hand as the sand siblings stood in front of his desk, Uzuki Yuugao and their Jounin, Baki waiting patiently as the Third Hokage read over the letter from the sand siblings father and his counterpart, The Fourth Kazekage.

"Well, I must say that this is a surprise." The Sandaime hummed to himself as he placed the letter down in front of himself on his desk. "It's unfortunate that the bloodline written here in this letter no longer exists." _'At least, until Naruto can come of age or become a Jounin.'_ Sarutobi thought to himself.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Hokage-sama." Baki, leader of the Suna Siblings bowed just far enough to convey the proper respect, and no further. That the bloodline no longer existed in Konoha meant that Suna was one step closer to taking its rightful place as the Strongest of the Elemental Nations.

Stroking his chin, Sarutobi thought briefly out loud. "The peace between Fire and Wind has been gaining in strength for several years now. Why would the Kazekage suddenly want to marry his daughter to the Yondaime's son?"

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I wasn't informed on such details." Baki spoke carefully, keeping his voice neutral. Gaara looked to be getting antsy, which never boded well when it came to the blood hungry child.

"It's not important." Sarutobi nodded to Yuugao before taking the letter and placing it in his desk. "It will be our honor to have the children of the Kazekage here. You understand that I can't place you in any of major clan houses due to having our own secrets."

Baki nodded. "We understand that. We were actually thinking of something like a minor house or at least accomodations that would be away from the eyes of the people of your village. We have our own secrets we'd like to remain secret due in part to our training techniques."

"Yuugao will be able to show you to any training grounds you need so that you may train in private as necessary." Sarutobi nodded to the Yuugao, who turned and bowed lightly to Baki and his team. "If you have any questions, she will arrange anything you need for you while you stay here."

"We appreciate that." Baki spoke for them, all but Gaara bowing slightly to the Hokage before thy turned and left the old man's office. Once the doors weere closed behind the Suna guests, Sarutobi shivered. "I have a bad feeling about this exam..."

* * *

"This is the place?" A kid wearing camo pants and scarf over a brown shirt with kanji stared at the hidden village of the leaf. "Yeah, this place looks like it needs wiped out."

"Zaku, enough." The bandages around his head hid everything but his left eye, the gray dirty top and large furry object on his back giving him a hunchbacked look to him. "The last thing we need is to be arrested by the ANBU before the exams begin."

The raven haired girl stood back by their 'Teacher'. She watched as the boys of this little impromptu Genin squad argued between each other about the coming plans to the village before them. "So, all I have to do is last to the second part of the Chuunin exams with these jerks? We'll be recognized as Oto nin then?"

"It's a rare honor you've been given." The man hidden in a duster and tall collar, a hat over his head obscuring his identity even further. "Only the strongest women survive in Oto. There's even one with the Otokage as one of his personal guard."

"Hey, are we doing this or not?" Zaku asked impatiently, bordering a demand as bot he and Dosu stared back at Kin and their Sensei.

"You'll need these..." The hidden Jounin called out as he tossed two plates with cloth bound to the metal. Both of the boys caught the tossed object, looking down at the reflective plate and the note etched into the center. "Starting now, you are Genin of Otogakure. Hopefully you'll live to take your place among us." He handed Kin her plate and watched as the girl fiddled with the cloth before tying it around her forehead slowly. "Now come, we may be here early, but my job is not just to be your Sensei. I have my own duties to perform."

"Just as long as it doesn't interfere with our jobs." Zaku muttered snidely as they began walking toward the front gate, and toward their future.

* * *

**For some reason, writing this drug out longer and longer the more I wrote in it. Not sure why... Maybe it was because this is more the set up for a lot of things that are about to happen... *shrugs***


End file.
